Gifts from the Heart
by Litny
Summary: Team Seven's innocent attempt to find out more about their sensei uncovers shadows from Kakashi's past. Truth can bring healing, though… KakaIru. Rated for adult themes and strong language.
1. Chapter 1

**AN**: Hello.

**[Insert obligatory disclaimer here stating the obvious]**

**A note on the setting: **Story starts in that time after they've returned from the Land of Waves but before the chunin exams. The timeline may be altered slightly but the general idea is the same.

**Warnings**: Nothing "inappropriate" in this chapter. This is a story, not a snog-fest, and things must progress in a natural way accordingly. Overall, though, be aware that this is a slash/yaoi pairing fic. It is also worth noting that, since I'm writing a KakaIru fic, I'm a big supporter of the GLBTA. If you don't know what that is, Google it; they're good people. In order to maintain an ounce of realism, though, not everyone in this fic is going to be all sunshine and roses regarding same-sex relationships. Please be aware that the negative views of these characters do not reflect my views on the subject. Thank you.

* * *

**Chapter One – In Which They Brainstorm and Iruka Makes a Suggestion**

The wooded training grounds were nearly silent in the early evening sunlight. Despite the oppressive heat of the day, birds still sang cheerfully in the treetops surrounding the small clearing that sat near the memorial stone. The only other sound permeating the area came from three exhausted genin who were attempting to remain upright. Heavy breathing accompanied the trembling of their arms as the three junior shinobi struggled to maintain the handstands they had been ordered to hold for the greater part of the last hour.

Sakura pulled in a ragged breath as she felt herself slip slightly. She wobbled precariously for a second before she threw a surge of chakra into her palms, rooting her firmly back in place. She had little left to spare and felt the effects of chakra depletion creep up on her. By the looks on the faces of her sweat-soaked cohorts, Naruto and Sasuke weren't fairing much better than she was. Sasuke's eyes were starting to glaze over; Naruto has turned an unflattering shade of red from effort. As they had spent the day running drills and were worn out before they had even begun the handstands, all three ninja had little energy left for a prolonged strength exercise.

The pink-haired kunoichi shot a half-hearted glare at Naruto. The punishment they were being subjected to was _entirely _his fault. Sakura was still angry with him, even though her inner-self had long since run out of nasty names to call the blonde boy. He had completely botched their mock-up mission but, in the spirit of teamwork, Kakashi-sensei chose to punish all three of them.

Sakura turned her eyes away from her teammates, seeking out the form of their jonin sensei. He sat a few yards away, back against the trunk of a tall maple. His nose was buried in the ever-present orange Icha Icha book but Sakura wasn't fooled for a moment; she knew he was very well aware of his surroundings.

Her arms gave a small tremor and Sakura screwed her eyes shut, taking a few more deep breaths. If this went on much longer, she was certain she would collapse, and then what would Sasuke think of her? Gritting her teeth, Sakura braced herself. She had to hold on and prove she was just as good as the boys.

"Alright, I think you've had enough for one day." Kakashi's voice floated lazily over to his students. He snapped his book shut and gained his feet in a fluid motion. He crossed the clearing to stand near the genin as they crumpled into undignified heaps at his feet.

"Tomorrow. Six a.m." Without another word, their sensei spun around and stalked off, hands shoved into his pockets. He was gone in a matter of moments.

"I can't feel my arms," Sakura murmured between gasps. She rolled onto her side, clutching the leaden limbs to her chest.

Naruto pushed himself up into a sitting position and then slumped forward, groaning. From his other side, Sasuke merely grunted as he stared up at the sky, arms flung out to either side of his body.

"Hey," Naruto started hesitantly, flexing stiff fingers. He lifted his head and glanced between Sakura and Sasuke. "What d'ya suppose is wrong with Kakashi-sensei?"

Sakura frowned and forced herself to sit up. She knew if she lay on the ground much longer, her muscles would start to freeze up. With a deep sigh and a grimace, she fumbled to her feet. "Everyone has bad days, Naruto," she said with a hint of condescension.

"Yeah, but he's been really grumpy for the last week," Naruto defended. He started stretching slowly.

Beside him, Sasuke was standing stiffly. "It's probably the heat," the dark-haired boy murmured, rolling his shoulders.

"Naruto has a point, though," Sakura admitted grudgingly. She didn't like to contradict Sasuke's opinion but Naruto had hit on something she had been noticing as well. Their usually lackadaisical sensei had been very testy lately. He even went as far as to snap at her a couple days ago when she missed her target during kunai practice. Kakashi-sensei was not known to raise his voice at them unless there was actually a danger of someone getting hurt, and there had been no chance of anyone being remotely damaged by her bad aim that day.

Sakura ignored the asinine expression on Naruto's face when she agreed with him. Chewing absently on her thumbnail, she turned her thoughts inward for a moment. "It can't be just the heat," she started slowly, thinking aloud. "Because it's only been hot for the last three days." She saw Sasuke shrug out of the corner of her eye but pressed on. "Maybe something is bothering him?"

"What would bother Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto finally stood, stretching out his back.

The kunoichi pursed her lips. "I don't know. But... maybe we could try to cheer him up?" The suggestion was tentative. Considering how secretive their sensei was, she doubted they would be able to figure out what was causing his recent foul moods, but if they were able to make him feel better in general, perhaps he would be less harsh in dealing out punishments. She rubbed her arms subconsciously and winced at the ache that throbbed through them.

"We should get him a gift!" Naruto said enthusiastically.

"A gift?" Sasuke's tone was derisive.

"Yeah, why not?" Naruto glared at Sasuke. "Everyone likes getting presents, right?"

Sasuke had no answer for that and moved into a hamstring stretch with another noncommittal shrug. Sakura thought there must have been something wrong with her because she was silently agreeing with Naruto for the second time.

"Okay," she said slowly, crossing her arms. "I have some money saved up from all our D-rank missions. If we all chip in a bit, we could probably get him something." She glanced at the other two for confirmation. Naruto was nodding eagerly while Sasuke refrained from speaking. Sakura took his silence as a yes. If Sasuke wasn't on board, he would have walked away by now. "Do either of you have any idea what he might like?"

Silence descended on the genin. After a moment of brain racking, Naruto shrugged overdramatically. "For a guy with lots of hobbies, he sure doesn't look like he does anything but read Icha Icha books." The blonde folded his arms, face serious.

"And we're not old enough to buy him one of those," Sakura said, her voice nearly squeaking with embarrassment of the idea of going into the type of shop that sold Kakashi's chosen reading material.

"He probably has them all anyway," Sasuke added dryly.

"Any idea what else he might like to do?" Sakura prompted, trying her best to remember if they had seen _any_ sign that Kakashi actually did have as many interests as he claimed to have. Her question was met with blank looks from the boys. She rolled her eyes. "Well, we need to figure it out soon, okay? I don't know if I can manage another day like today."

The corner of Sasuke's eye twitched slightly but Naruto was nodding his agreement. "Yeah, that sucked. And I'm hungry, too!" As if to make his point, Naruto's stomach chose that moment to groan loudly. They hadn't eaten lunch since very early that afternoon.

Sakura hesitated a minute before encompassing both boys in her gaze. "My mom's making soba stir-fry tonight. Come have dinner with us and we can brainstorm Kakashi-sensei's gift." She was elated when Sasuke muttered a vague "okay" and somewhat annoyed when Naruto also took her up on the offer. She reminded herself that this was for the good of the team; Naruto wasn't as bad as he used to be, anyway. Hopefully he'd behave himself.

* * *

"I bet he reads more than just Icha Icha books," Sakura mused as she toyed with her spoon. An empty bowl sat in front of her, the dregs of her ice cream dessert swirled around the bottom of the dish in a pink and white pattern.

"Then why bring those out into public?" Sasuke countered, handing his bowl to Mrs. Haruno when Sakura's mother came to claim the dishes. He thanked her politely before turning his attention back to his teammates.

"Right." Sakura chewed her lip for a moment, staring at her spoon until her mother snatched it out of her hand. Mrs. Haruno disappeared back into the kitchen, leaving the genin to continue their discussion alone.

"I have plants," Naruto announced. "Maybe Kakashi-sensei likes plants?"

"He could garden." Sakura nodded her agreement to the idea.

"His nails are too clean," Sasuke said with a shake of his head.

Inner-Sakura swooned briefly at how observant Sasuke was before her logical side took control again. "I bet he does something weird and that's why no one knows about his hobbies."

"Like knitting!" Naruto chuckled.

"Knitting isn't weird," Sakura defended, frowning. She knitted all the time.

"It is for a guy," Naruto defended.

"Fine, then. What else?" Sakura huffed slightly and sat back in her chair, arms dangling down past her seat.

"Painting?" Naruto guessed next.

"Or calligraphy," Sakura expanded on the idea. "Or maybe he just draws?"

"Music?" Naruto ticked off his fingers. "Or pottery or fishing or… uhm…" The blonde scratched his head thoughtfully.

"What about collections?" Sasuke spoke up again when Naruto paused for breath. "Many people collect… things."

"I collect interesting ramen packages!" Naruto offered excitedly.

Sakura rolled her eyes. "I doubt Kakashi-sensei collects old food wrappers."

"He seems more the type to collect weapons," Sasuke mused. "Or scrolls."

"Or porn," Naruto added with a grin. His companions ignored him.

"Weapons are too expensive. We don't have enough for anything that fancy." Sakura pouted dejectedly before an idea struck her. She sat up straight. "Cooking!" Sakura announced matter-of-factly.

"What?" Naruto stared at her, a baffled expression flickering across his face.

"Cooking. I bet Kakashi-sensei cooks."

Sasuke's brows twitched closer together. "What makes you think that?"

"Those bento-boxes we ate that first day." Sakura held her finger up as if imparting important information. "Those were home-made and _good._ I bet Kakashi-sensei cooks, and if he's good at it, he probably enjoys it. I mean, how else would he have fed himself all this time?"

"Unless someone else made them for him." Sasuke frowned in thought.

"Naw, who would have made them?" Naruto asked dismissively.

"How much do we really know about Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke rubbed his chin as he considered his own question. "He may have a girlfriend. Or he could be married. We don't know, do we?"

Naruto jumped as though the idea had never crossed his mind. "He could have _kids_."

"I get the impression that Kakashi-sensei doesn't like children," Sakura told them honestly. "I doubt he'd have kids. But he could have a girlfriend, I suppose."

"I think we need to face a very simple fact: We do not know enough about him to pick out a significant gift." Sasuke tapped his fingers on the tabletop.

"Then we need to find out," Naruto said firmly, slapping his hand down onto the table. "We'll just go to his home and poke around until we find out what he likes."

"Do any of us actually know where he lives?" Sakura asked, eyebrows raised. The three of them exchanged looks and head-shakes.

"Tomorrow after practice," Sasuke started, his voice taking on a tone that suggested this was going to be their plan and no one was going to argue with it, "I'll follow him home. That should tell us what we need to know."

"I'll come with you," Sakura started but Sasuke interrupted her.

"No. Two of us would look suspicious if he happened to see." Sasuke narrowed his eyes at his teammates, daring them to argue. Neither did.

"Naruto, why don't you go talk to Iruka-sensei tomorrow after training and see if he knows anything about Kakashi-sensei," Sakura suggested. "They're pretty close in age, I think. Iruka-sensei may have picked up some sort of clue over the years."

"Assuming they know each other," Sasuke pointed out.

Naruto ignored Sasuke's comment and nodded vigorously at Sakura. "Good idea! What are you going to do tomorrow after practice?"

Sakura grimaced. "I have a dental appointment. But I can meet up with you guys afterward and find out what you learned."

* * *

Sasuke skirted along the rooftops, stepping lightly despite his fatigue. Training had been another arduous day of drill after drill. They hadn't gotten a mission in what seemed like forever and the inactivity was grating on Sasuke's nerves. He wanted to feel the rush of adrenaline that came from completing his duties, not spend six hours practicing blindfolded shuriken throws.

He paused for a minute as Kakashi turned down a side street. Below his fingertips, the tiles of the roof radiated heat upward, making him uncomfortable. Sasuke would be glad when summer was over and the incessant heat wave they were experiencing faded into the much more comfortable temperatures of autumn. As soon as he determined that Kakashi was far enough ahead, Sasuke picked his pace up again, hopping nimbly along.

Whatever Sasuke was expecting, Kakashi's apartment was not exactly it. The three-story building had a drab, neglected look about it. The tiles of the rooftop were faded, the paint on the walls chipped and cracked with age. Sasuke watched as Kakashi checked a mailbox nailed to the wall of the lowest apartment. The older ninja then entered the building through the door; he apparently lived on the ground floor.

As soon as the latch clicked, Sasuke alighted onto Kakashi's roof, and then jumped down to land soundlessly next to the mailbox. A glance told Sasuke that if Kakashi was attached to someone, they did not live there, too. It held only the sensei's name in cheap, peeling stickers.

Sasuke glanced around the façade of the apartment. There were no flowerboxes or herbs growing in Kakashi's windows. The curtains were drawn so Sasuke could not see inside. The young ninja circumvented the building but came up with nothing. It was a rather disappointing investigation.

Lips pressed thin in dissatisfaction, Sasuke turned away from his sensei's apartment and headed back toward the Academy - his team's chosen meeting place - hoping that Naruto was able to come up with something more substantial from Iruka-sensei.

* * *

"Iruka-sensei!"

"Naruto?" Iruka blinked a couple times then smiled at the blonde that had come bounding into the classroom shortly after the last class of the day filed out.

"Hi, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto skid to a stop in front of the instructor's desk. The chunin set his pen aside and leaned back in his chair, knowing very well that he wouldn't get any grading done until after the exuberant genin had left.

"What can I do for you?" Iruka asked. As far as he could remember, he hadn't promised Naruto ramen. He had hardly even seen the boy since Team Seven had returned from the Land of the Waves. Iruka felt a brief flutter of guilt for not having taken some time to catch up with Naruto in the past couple weeks, but his Academy workload seemed to be heavier than usual, and Naruto had been busy training with Kakashi.

"I wanted to ask you something," Naruto started, folding his arms and assuming a rather serious expression. Iruka braced himself for the expected ramen-request. "What sorts of things does Kakashi-sensei like?"

Iruka blinked. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Kakashi-sensei. I mean, you know him, right? So, we wanted to get him something but all he does is read those pervy books." Naruto leaned forward on Iruka's desk slightly.

"I'm sorry, Naruto. I don't actually know Kakashi-sensei very well." Iruka frowned, folding his arms.

Naruto deflated slightly. "Oh."

"Kakashi-sensei is a very quiet person from what I understand. The only one that might have any idea of his likes would probably be Might Guy," Iruka continued after a moment of consideration. "Although if you ask me, you can never go wrong when your intentions are good."

Naruto nodded a few times then frowned again. "Okay. What's that mean?"

Iruka resisted the urge to rub his temple. His last class had been taxing enough without having to deal with Naruto on top of it. With patience gained from years of teaching hormonal pre-teens ninja techniques, Iruka tried to clarify.

"You're trying to get a gift for your sensei for whatever reason – no, you don't have to explain-" Iruka held up a hand when Naruto opened his mouth, cutting the younger ninja off, "-but you don't know what to get for him. Am I right?"

"Well, yeah." Naruto scuffed the toe of his sandal against the floor. "He's been a real grouch lately," he clarified, even though Iruka had told him it was unnecessary to elaborate.

Iruka sighed. Anyone having to deal with Naruto for long periods of time was bound to get cranky; Iruka had suffered from a similar problem during the genin's stint in the Academy. "Anyway," the instructor continued, pushing those memories to the back of his mind. "Just follow your heart and you can't go wrong."

Naruto still looked confused, his brows knit tightly and his lips pouted out. Iruka recognized that look; the gears in Naruto's brain were grinding away like mad but no comprehension dawned on the boy's face. With an inward groan, Iruka tried one last time to get his point across. "I'm sure Kakashi-sensei would appreciate any gesture from you and your team."

"But we don't want to make a gesture, we want to get him a gift," Naruto objected. Iruka barely kept himself from running a hand down his face.

"Bake him some cookies," Iruka tried one last time, almost desperately. "Everyone likes homemade cookies."

Naruto instantly brightened. "Hey, that's a good idea! Thanks, Iruka-sensei!" Before Iruka had the chance to reply, Naruto raced from the room, slamming the sliding door behind him hard enough that the chalk rattled on the blackboard tray. Iruka shook his head and picked his pen up once more, returning his attention to the stack of papers on his desk. He vaguely hoped, for Kakashi's sake, that one of the members of Team Seven knew how to bake.

* * *

Sakura sat on the swing that hung just outside the Academy door. She rocked slightly, her toe planned firmly against the dirt to gently push her back and forth. The sound of feet tamping against the ground brought her attention to one side where Sasuke landed. He looked frustrated as he stalked toward her across the school grounds.

"Naruto not here yet?" he asked in greeting.

"No," Sakura replied, voice slightly muffled. Sasuke's eyes narrowed at the odd speech impediment and Sakura's cheeks colored slightly as she glanced toward the Academy door. "Ma mouf ith numb. Dentith."

Sasuke didn't reply to that as the door to the Academy opened. Naruto exited the building and ran toward them, a grin plastered on his face. "Looks like the dummy had more luck than I did," Sasuke muttered.

"Hey, guys!" Naruto stopped a few feet away, hands on his hips. "What did you learn, Sasuke? Iruka-sensei had a great idea!"

"He lives alone," Sasuke said bluntly, shifting his weight. "What did Iruka-sensei say?"

"He said we should bake him some cookies!" Naruto looked exceptionally proud of himself. "So… uhm… do either of you know how to do that?"

"Yesth." Sakura smiled lopsidedly. "Plusth ma mahm can hel usth."

"Uh…" Naruto glanced at Sasuke.

"Dentist." The dark-haired boy looked to Sakura. "Is it too late to bake them tonight?"

Sakura shook her head. "Leths go!"

* * *

"I wish I could eat one now," Sakura lamented as she slid her spatula under a cookie, lifting it off the baking sheet and onto the wire rack to cool. "Dr. Abusan said no sweets until my filling fully sets." She wrinkled her nose. At least the numbness had gone away by the time the cookies were out of the oven. She was getting tired of having to repeat herself when Naruto failed to understand her garbled speech.

She shot a dark look at the blonde ninja. He was attempting to scrape the very last of the cookie dough from the mixing bowl. Nearby, Sasuke had his arms elbow-deep in suds, scrubbing at the dirty dishes. He had a streak of flour on his cheek and Sakura giggled to herself at the sight. Naruto may have been annoying, trying to eat the unbaked dough before she even got it into the oven, but Sasuke had been downright useless in the kitchen. At least Naruto had been able to competently mix ingredients. Sasuke's attempts to help had made an even larger mess of the kitchen than baking usually did. Sakura forgave Sasuke readily, though; he had offered to do all the dishes. Sakura hated doing the dishes.

"Can I have one?" Naruto asked, arm already reaching past Sakura to grab at the cooling cookies. Sakura smacked the back of his hand with the spatula.

"Those are for Kakashi-sensei!" she scolded.

"He doesn't need to eat all of them," Naruto whined. "Please, Sakura?"

Sakura regarded his puppy-dog expression, lip curling slightly. She was about to deny him when Sasuke's voice broke in.

"Just let him eat a couple. It might shut him up." The Uchiha snagged the last mixing bowl from Naruto's other hand, dunking it in the sink.

Somewhat reluctantly, Sakura picked out two of the smaller cookies and handed them over to Naruto. "Did you want one, Sasuke?" she asked, hand hovering over a larger cookie.

"I don't care for sweets," he replied bluntly. "Thanks," he added as an afterthought.

"Can I have his?" Naruto started reaching toward the racks again. Sakura whapped his hand with her spatula once more.

"No!" Sakura rolled her eyes. "You should go home, Naruto. I'll wrap these up once they cool and bring them to practice tomorrow." When he looked ready to argue, Sakura raised her spatula threateningly.

"Fine." Naruto pouted. "Just don't forget them!"

There was a soft pop as Sasuke pulled the plug from the drain. "I'll head out, too. Come on, dummy." Sasuke bumped Naruto's shoulder roughly with his own as he passed. Sakura followed them to the door and waved goodbye with her spatula. With the boys gone, Sakura set herself to the task of finding the perfect box to put the cookies in. Kakashi was going to love their gift and perhaps he'd finally lighten up again.

* * *

Kakashi landed lightly on the archway over the bridge, crouching quietly as he watched his students talking amongst themselves. They hadn't noticed him yet and he was in no rush to make himself known. The foul mood that had followed him lately started to creep up on the jonin once more, despite his attempts to shake it off. He felt mildly bad about channeling his sour mood into their training sessions, but he brushed off the feeling quickly. They had to learn that not everyone was going to coddle them all the time.

Truth be told, Kakashi had not been sleeping well. Bad memories had surfaced lately and he had been spending more time than usual staring blankly at the memorial stone. Only now, instead of merely dwelling on Rin and Obito, other ghosts were bothering the jonin. He shook his head, pushing those thoughts back into the recesses of his mind. As hard as he tried to suppress them during the day, painful recollections of the past kept invading his brain, blocking out sleep and driving him to distraction.

With a sigh, Kakashi focused on the genin below him. They were huddled around something, whispering almost conspiratorially. That was odd. Typically, they spent their mornings complaining about how he was late, or arguing about trivial things. The fact that Naruto's voice wasn't any louder than a whisper tugged at Kakashi's curiosity. Deciding he had delayed long enough, the Copy-Nin hopped down from the arch, landing silently behind his students.

"Good morning," he said as cheerfully as he could muster, holding up a hand in greeting. Sakura jumped and Naruto flinched. The only sign that Sasuke had been even remotely surprised by their sensei's arrival showed in a widening of his eyes but he managed to keep his body from outwardly reacting. Kakashi frowned behind his mask. His pupils were up to something to react so guiltily.

"You're late!" Naruto started, pointing an accusing finger at Kakashi. By now, this was a tradition, although usually Sakura joined in. Kakashi turned his eye expectantly to the kunoichi. She was holding something behind her back, though, and didn't add her usual two-cents regarding his tardiness. The three genin exchanged guarded expressions as if trying to silently communicate. Kakashi quashed a growing sense of annoyance at their behavior.

"Well, let's get going." Kakashi turned his back to the three and started across the bridge. When he didn't hear the sound of their foot-falls behind him, he glanced over his shoulder. Kakashi's eye narrowed as Naruto attempted to snatch something out of Sakura's hands. It looked like a box of some sort.

About to say something about their peculiar behavior, Kakashi was cut off by Sasuke, who smacked Naruto over the head with his fist and then took the box from Sakura. The young Uchiha marched up to Kakashi and thrust the box into the older ninja's hands.

Kakashi stared blankly down at the box for a long moment while Sakura and Naruto came forward to stand with Sasuke. He glanced up at them then back at the box. It was a pretty box, he had to admit, although not really his style. Pink and white flowers blossomed across the black, shiny material. He wasn't certain but he thought it was some sort of fancy cardboard.

"Well? Open it!" Naruto blurted.

Kakashi blinked slowly. Of course, there was something inside the box. Carefully, he hooked his fingers under the lid and pried it off. He was hit with the instant scent of chocolate and he found his eyebrows rising of their own volition at the pile of small, round chocolate-chip cookies nestled in a layer of purple tissue paper. His eye returned to his students.

"Sakura baked them," Naruto explained. "I mixed the dough."

"Sasuke helped, too," Sakura added, although she didn't elaborate his part in the process.

"You baked me cookies?" Kakashi voiced, amusement starting to slip into his tone.

"It was Iruka-sensei's idea." Naruto scratched the back of his head, grinning.

"Iruka-sensei told you to bake me cookies." Kakashi was honestly confused. Why in the world would their old Academy teacher tell them to do this? He hardly knew the man.

"Well, yes but not really. You see…" Naruto frowned while his mind tried to find the words to explain. Sakura stepped in, saving him the trouble.

"We wanted to do something to… cheer you up," she told him hesitantly. "Since you've been-" she paused, fumbling for the most tactful words, "-not yourself. Iruka-sensei suggested cookies when we asked his opinion."

Kakashi looked back down at the baked goods. Slowly, his eye started to arch in a genuine smile. Perhaps he had been a little harsh with them lately, and yet they returned his grouchiness with a thoughtful gift. And he was fond of chocolate-chip cookies. Although it wasn't exactly enough to banish the demons that seemed intent on keeping him up at night, it did make him feel a small curl of warmth in the pit of his stomach that his genin thought enough of him to try to cheer him up.

He placed the lid firmly back in place and tucked the box under his arm. "Thank you. I'll enjoy them later. Now, let's get moving. We have a mission today."

"Alright!" Naruto pumped his fist into the air. "What're we doing today? Tracking down rogue ninja, protecting some princess on her journey?"

"Mrs. Tanaka needs someone to help her plant a cherry tree in her garden." Kakashi smiled even more broadly at the suddenly deflated look on Naruto's face. Kakashi knew he'd be in for a day of listening to Naruto complain about the task but the thought of a box full of cookies somehow lessened the feelings of irritation that threatened to break free. In the face of chocolate-chips, the day was going to be downright pleasant.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: **Hello again.

**Warnings: **Nothing comes to mind. If you're reading Chapter Two, you've obviously seen the warning in the previous chapter regarding this being a yaoi/slash fic.

**Note: **As this is fanfic, I'm taking a couple liberties, such as giving Kakashi a floor-level, multi-roomed apartment. I'm sure no one will be heartbroken over that.

**Additional: **Thank you to those who have reviewed, added this story to their alerts, and/or added it to their favorites. I sincerely appreciate it.

**Chapter Two - In Which Things are Awkward and Iruka Gets a Note**

His ceiling was becoming a very familiar sight and that grated on Kakashi's nerves. According to the glowing red numbers on his clock, it was nearly three in the morning and he had yet to see the back of his eyelids for more than few minutes at a time. With a heavy sigh, the shinobi sat up in bed and rubbed his tired eyes with the heels of his palms. At this rate, he was going to start looking old enough for his hair color. He needed to get some sleep but that was not going to happen right then.

Kakashi threw his blankets back and swung his legs over the edge of his bed. With a weary grunt, he rose and stretched his back, contorting until a series of pops ran the length of his spine. It took him only moments to dress – the heat wave left the nights balmy so he chose only his sleeveless shirt and an old pair of pants, leaving his flak jacket behind. He doubted he would be seeing anyone else up and about at three a.m. but he did pull his mask up over his face out of habit.

Halfway to his door, Kakashi paused and glanced down at his kitchen table. His apartment wasn't large and his kitchen doubled as a dining room. The single, tiny table he owned held his dishes from dinner, as well as a very out-of-place black, pink, and white box. A thought occurred to Kakashi and he scooped the container up into his arms before slipping on his sandals and padding silently out of his home.

His feet took him along the familiar path between his apartment and the memorial stone. Trusting his subconscious to find the way after so many years of repeatedly walking the route, Kakashi turned his thoughts inward. His eye vaguely saw the ground moving beyond the box he stared at.

Sakura's box of cookies was something that Rin would have done. It was a kind thing, a selfless thing. Although the present had not helped Kakashi sleep any better, he did feel more at peace than he had the previous day. The unexpected gift, given not just by one but by all three of his students – a group effort if Sakura and Naruto's words from that morning were true – reminded him that there were people that still cared about him. Not only that, but they were people he cared for, too. It had been difficult lately to remember that. Anniversaries from his past loomed closely and it was those memories that had been increasingly difficult to face. Too many nights he had woken up in a cold sweat, faces he had hoped to forget lingering in his mind's eye. Every year at this time they would return with a vengeance; every year they would be harder to cope with.

It wasn't until he was nearly at the memorial stone that Kakashi registered a low, murmuring voice up ahead. He had been so wrapped in his own thoughts he hadn't been as perceptive as usual. Kakashi stopped short behind the nearby bushes, peering through the foliage at the moonlit clearing containing the stone. A dark figure knelt next to the epitaph. The moonlight illuminated the man's back but his face was cast in shadow. The voice was vaguely familiar though, and Kakashi tried to place it.

"I think you'd be happy with how things have been recently," the figure started speaking in earnest. Fingers twitched on some flowers laid out at the base of the rectangular stone. "Most of the classes are well behaved; nothing like when Naruto was there."

A light bulb clicked on in Kakashi's mind as he eavesdropped: it must be Iruka. The silhouette was about right, even if the older ninja couldn't make out the instructor's face. He wasn't dressed as a ninja, though. Kakashi thought it looked like Iruka had decided to visit the memorial stone in his pajamas. Seeing Iruka in a hooded sweatshirt was out of place when the only thing Kakashi had ever seen him in was his uniform. The Copy-Nin glanced at his own casual garb. He wasn't exactly geared up, either.

Kakashi shifted slightly in the brush, wondering if he should just come back later. He wanted to visit with his own ghosts, but Iruka had gotten there first. It felt rude to listen in on what was obviously supposed to be a private, if one-sided, conversation. Why else would Iruka be there at this unholy hour? The jonin hesitated, glancing back over his shoulder in the direction he had just come from, debating his course of action. He didn't have to dwell on it long; Iruka made the decision for him.

"I know someone's there," the voice of the instructor cut through the otherwise still night. He stood and turned his eyes toward the bushes. The moon lit up Iruka's face, giving his features a ghastly, pale hue, like a spirit.

Kakashi had to give the teacher a few props. Although the older ninja was not exactly attempting to mask his presence, he also wasn't announcing it. Iruka's senses were sharp. With an inward shrug, Kakashi tucked the box of cookies under his arm and shoved his hands into his pockets. He strolled from the bushes casually, looking his usual mixture of bored and unconcerned.

Iruka's eyebrows rose slightly at the sight of the jonin. "Ah, Kakashi-sensei."

"Good evening." Kakashi lifted a hand. "Please, just 'Kakashi.' You're not my student."

Iruka's lips thinned briefly but he nodded once. His dark eyes flicked toward the position of the moon. "You're out late," he noted.

Although Iruka's words sounded a bit forced, Kakashi ignored it. By the look in the younger man's eyes, Iruka was probably wondering just how much Kakashi had overheard. That, in turn, made Kakashi wonder what the teacher could possibly be telling the memorial that wasn't supposed to be public. Being a private person, Kakashi wasn't about to pry into someone else's business, though.

"I could say the same of you," Kakashi said in response as he stepped up next to the fractionally shorter man. His single visible eye scanned the multiple names engraved on the stone, picking out those he had known personally. There were many. "I'm just visiting some friends."

Iruka hummed slightly in the back of his throat, nodding in understanding. "Yes, now seemed like as good a time as any."

A decidedly awkward silence started to creep up on the two ninja as they gazed at the memorial. Iruka cleared his throat self-consciously. "Well, I'll leave you to-"

"Would you like a cookie?" Kakashi wasn't sure why it had come out, but as soon as the words left his mouth he knew it was too late to ponder the spontaneous question.

Iruka stared at the other man, bemused. "I'm sorry?"

Kakashi took the box out from under his arm, prizing the lid off with deft fingers. Although about half of the cookies had vanished since that morning, there were still a few good sized ones left. He held the box out to Iruka and shook it encouragingly. To his surprise, Iruka chuckled.

"I see they took my advice." The chunin reached in and took a cookie, turning it over in his fingers a few times before nibbling on the edge tentatively. He sighed in relief that the biscuit was edible.

"They think very highly of you," Kakashi murmured before nesting the bottom of the box into the lid, leaving the top open. He knelt down and placed it next to the memorial, an offering to the deceased. He knew that squirrels and crows would probably steal the goodies in the morning, but it was the thought that counted.

"I could say the same of you," Iruka replied, using Kakashi's words from moments before. "They certainly never baked me cookies."

"It was an effort of teamwork. They did not have that in your class." Kakashi stood and clapped his hands together briefly, closing his eye to send a short and silent prayer to the spirits, letting them know of the gift. Then he shoved his hands into his pockets and looked sidelong at Iruka. "I don't think I would have trusted Naruto to bake on his own."

Iruka smiled ruefully at that and jerked his head in a nod. "He would have given us food poisoning for certain. I can't imagine how he survived for so long on his own." Iruka's smile faltered and he stared hard at the stone for a minute. Kakashi pretended he didn't see the lapse in composure.

"I've been to his apartment. He lives on instant ramen." Kakashi looked up at the moon for a moment, judging the time. "Hard to mess that up."

"When I was eleven, I melted a bowl of ramen on the stove-top."

Kakashi started to chuckle but stopped it in his throat at the look on Iruka's face. The other man was still staring at the stone, his lips thin. He continued as though to himself but Kakashi listened anyway.

"My mother never taught me how to cook before she died. I just sort of had to figure it out on my own." Iruka shrugged slightly. "Ramen is supposed to be easy, especially if you have no one to help you cook. I guess I proved that wrong, huh?" From Iruka's tone, Kakashi guessed that the younger man's father hadn't been around, either.

Kakashi's eyes darted to the memorial stone, scanning the names chiseled there. He had read them all hundreds of times but he hardly noticed the names of shinobi he hadn't known personally. It was about halfway down, among names of those killed during the Nine-Tailed attack, that Kakashi spotted Iruka's last name listed twice. Those must have been Iruka's parents. No wonder the younger man seemed to share some sort of bond with Naruto; they apparently had a lot in common.

Kakashi felt he should say something meaningful. Iruka meant quite a bit to those that meant something to Kakashi. He didn't know what to say, however. 'I'm sorry your parents are dead. So are mine. At least your father isn't a traitor,' just didn't have a very compassionate ring to it. It wasn't like he really knew Iruka well enough to say something comforting. They didn't move in the same social circles; they hardly spoke more than ten words to one another when exchanging mission scrolls at the tower. The most they had in common, besides being Leaf Ninja, were the kids of Team Seven. Kakashi wasn't even sure why he was still standing there with Iruka. He'd given Obito and Rin the cookies; he should just head home.

But he didn't. Kakashi returned his eye to Iruka and smiled. "When I was six, I nearly burned the house down trying to make my father breakfast."

Iruka's lips twitched upwards slightly. "So apparently the moral of this story is never put us in a kitchen together."

Kakashi found himself feeling a bit relieved at the improvement in Iruka's mood. "I will have you know that I am a very good cook now. But if your skills are subpar, I'll make sure to avoid anything you make."

"I'm not that terrible, either," Iruka replied, shooting Kakashi an affronted look that the older ninja could tell was faked. "I make a very mean chashu."

"Ah." Kakashi merely nodded in exaggerated understanding, as if he didn't believe the other man.

"Think what you will." Iruka shrugged. "But I can bet you've never tasted anything like it before."

"Hard to believe anything made by someone who can melt ramen would taste that great." Despite the words, Kakashi's tone was teasing.

"What, do I have to prove it to you?" Iruka shoved his hands into the pockets of his hoodie.

"If that's an offer, I'd be happy to taste your pork." Kakashi bit the inside of his cheek the moment the words left his lips. The way Iruka stiffened at the insinuation, Kakashi had taken the teasing into an uncomfortable place. He regretted his phrasing as an awkward silence settled onto their shoulders. He was about to apologize and attempt to smooth over the comment as innocent when Iruka spoke.

"I have class tomorrow." Iruka bowed his head slightly, his tone taking on a more formal lilt. "Good night, Kakashi."

"'Night." Kakashi watched as Iruka quickly left the memorial stone and disappeared through the foliage nearby. He felt oddly disappointed.

* * *

Sleep still evaded Kakashi when he returned home half an hour later, but it was for entirely different reasons than when he had originally left. He lay on his back on his bed, one arm flung over his eyes, as he replayed the odd conversation he had had with Iruka. He felt like an utter fool.

He realized the reason he had lingered there with the other man was that Kakashi had been feeling rather lonely lately. He blamed the ghosts of the past; they always made him feel alone. Although he had gone to the stone to seek out the company of the dead, it was actually a pleasant surprise to find someone alive there who was willing to talk, if only briefly. Then Kakashi had ruined it by flirting. He knew that's what he had been doing but Kakashi didn't stop it before he said something stupid and drove away his companion.

Kakashi thought himself a pretty good judge of character. He tended to usually read people correctly, but he had apparently botched his evaluation of Iruka. If he had any doubts about which direction Iruka swung, the younger man's reaction to Kakashi's words cemented it in his mind. He was most assuredly not interested.

'Pity,' Kakashi found himself thinking as he rolled over onto his stomach. Iruka wasn't hard on the eyes, he seemed to have a decent sense of humor, and he certainly had a good head on his shoulders. But not interested was not interested. It was hard to find anyone in Konoha who _was_ interested that didn't have breasts attached. The town had some pretty closed-minded ideas about what was considered acceptable. Others who shared Kakashi's preferences tended to not broadcast them; it usually ended very badly for them. Kakashi had been humiliated once a very long time ago and he was not about to let that happen again. Next time he ran into Iruka, he would just pretend nothing awkward had happened.

* * *

Iruka watched as the last of the morning class filed out of the room. He glanced at his desk and wondered if he could manage to re-energize with a fifteen minute nap before break ended and his next class surged through the door. He had the pre-teens next and Iruka wasn't certain he had the umph to deal with them today. He was exhausted.

Visiting the memorial at three in the morning had been a horrible idea from the get-go, but Iruka had been entirely unable to sleep. Instead of staring blankly at his wall, he figured he'd go talk to his folks. It had been months since his last visit, after all, and so many things were happening in his life that he felt a little guilty about not filling his parents in on it.

He wasn't expecting Kakashi to show up, and he definitely was not expecting to hear such things from the other man's mouth. Iruka realized later that night, before he drifted off to sleep, that he had probably over-reacted and whatever it was Kakashi was saying was not actually as suggestive as it had come out. The man was essentially asexual as far as Iruka could tell; Kakashi was never seen out with anyone, male or female. He felt a little bad about ditching the other man so abruptly after that, but it wasn't as if they had planned to meet there.

With a tired sigh, Iruka left his classroom and headed for the staff room to get some tea. He had already drunk about four cups but the caffeine wasn't really helping much. He knew coffee would probably give him a better kick-start, but he detested the stuff. He was sleepy, not desperate.

When Iruka returned to his classroom moments later, the first thing he noticed was the slip of paper on his desk where a slip of paper had not been before. Curious, he snatched it up. Sipping carefully at his tea with one hand, he flipped the folded scrap open with his other to see what it said. A slow smile spread across his face at the familiar scrawl, his fatigue suddenly forgotten in light of the note. Hiro was back in town and had an open evening. Although the paper read along the lines of an invitation to a training session, it was really just their code to prevent outside parties from cottoning on. Hiro was the heir of a prominent Konoha family and Iruka was the Academy's lead instructor. If the public caught wind that there some something going on beyond friendship, they both risked potential problems with their reputations.

At the first sound of students in the hallway, Iruka shoved the note into his pants pocket and set his tea down on the corner of his desk. Hiro's mission had taken him away from Konoha for well over two weeks. That probably meant an extensive mission report to write up so Iruka would have plenty of time to make dinner before the jonin showed up in his living room that night. Hiro was nothing if not punctual with his reports and would not stop by until after it was completed and turned in.

That was how they had met, Iruka reflected to himself as the first couple of adolescents filed into the room, grumbling about how their break was never long enough. Hiro had been turning in his report, still covered in the muck and mud of the road. An off-hand comment by Iruka about Hiro's dedication lead to a much longer conversation that eventually had to be continued over tea the next evening when other ninja in line became impatient to turn in their own reports.

That had been nearly a year ago and, since then, they had developed ways to communicate dates and meet-ups without arousing the suspicion of either Hiro's family or Iruka's superiors. If they were discovered, Hiro could be disowned and Iruka risked losing his job. Iruka had overheard derogatory talk for years from people all over town. Most seemed to be of the mind that there was something unnatural or wrong with homosexual relationships and that they couldn't be trusted around children. Never mind that Iruka loved his students and would never do anything to harm them. Never mind that he was the best damn instructor they had. If his superiors found out, he would probably be fired because suddenly he would be viewed as a monster; untrustworthy; deplorable.

Iruka brushed the suddenly dark thoughts from his mind as the last stragglers slipped into his classroom. He had long ago learned to tune out the negative voice of others with regards to his sexuality. They didn't know he was gay, after all, and that their words were hurtful to him. A small part of him wanted to tell some of his co-workers but he always refrained. Better not to let it out into the open. He and Hiro were perfectly happy as they were. There was absolutely no reason to change things.

Picking up his tea, Iruka took a long swig before smiling at his class. "Right! Pass your homework to the left. Inoko, can you gather that, please? Today we're going to review those henges I taught yesterday then we'll go outside for some shuriken practice." There was a flurry of movement as students dug frantically through their bags for their papers. Iruka relaxed into the familiarity of his classroom. Hiro was home, most of his students remembered their homework, and the weather was finally starting to cool down. Today was going to be a good day.

* * *

"Daikon... daikon..." Kakashi rummaged through the crisper drawer of his refrigerator, frowning. He pulled out what remained of a white root and held it up in distaste. A slimy film had started to glaze over the radish and Kakashi wasted no time in throwing it in the bin under his sink. "Well," he said to himself as he pawed through the rest of his 'fridge. "So, that's out. Hm. No pork. I'm out of chicken." He snagged a plastic storage container and popped the lid open. He immediately tossed it into the sink, pulling a face at the offensive smell it gave off.

Frustrated, Kakashi closed his refrigerator and stood with his hands on his hips. He was out of just about everything, having put off grocery shopping lately merely because he hadn't felt like doing it. The lack of trips to the market had finally caught up with him and, if Kakashi intended to eat anything at all that night besides plain noodles and fish cake, he would have to do some shopping.

He was still tired from his lack of sleep but a grumbling stomach won out. In a matter of moments, Kakashi had slipped his sandals on and grabbed his shopping bags from the closet by the door.

As expected for early evening, the grocer was bustling with people picking up goods on their way home from work. Kakashi weaved his way through groups of shuffling, indecisive people, heading directly to the items he needed. Shopping had always been one of Kakashi's least favorite tasks and he liked to get it over with as quickly as possible. In very little time, he had gathered everything except his vegetables, an item he usually picked up last so they wouldn't be crushed in the store's basket.

With deft fingers, he added a cabbage to the hand-held basket before moving toward the area of the produce department where the daikon was stocked. When he got there, he stopped short, brows furrowing at the empty bin. His eyes flicked to a sign posted nearby. A shortage due to blight?

"Well, that's disappointing," a familiar voice said from behind Kakashi, causing him to glance over his shoulder. Kakashi's movement caught the speaker's attention and the other man started suddenly.

"Oh, good evening, Kakashi-sensei." Iruka managed a smile, although Kakashi thought it looked a little cautious. The honorific was back, too, but that didn't surprise the older ninja - last night they had been the only two around and it seemed inappropriate to call each other "sensei." Now, in public, it was far more appropriate to not leave it off.

"Yo." Kakashi waved slightly. He noted Iruka's basket with mild interest. "Making that chashu, hm?"

Iruka looked down at his shopping. "It sounded like a good idea after last night." The last couple words were muttered hesitantly, as if he wasn't sure he if he should be bringing up their last conversation.

"Looks like you've got enough for two," Kakashi continued casually. Iruka flushed a distinct shade of pink. Kakashi leaned in slightly. "Who's the lucky lady who gets to sample your famous dish? Or did I miss an invite?"

Much to Kakashi's amusement, Iruka glared openly at the older nin. "That is none of your business," he snapped.

Kakashi vaguely remembered Naruto mentioning Iruka's temper. As fun as it would be to see if he could coax a full-blown eruption from Iruka, Kakashi merely smiled and spun on his heel to head toward the checkout. "Well, enjoy."

As he made his way homeward, Kakashi shook his head slightly. He really had read Iruka wrong the previous night if the guy was going home to make dinner for a girlfriend. A small spark of curiosity lit in his mind but he pushed it away. Iruka was an acquaintance; there was no reason to investigate further. Kakashi had his own meal to make, anyway.

* * *

The tiny apartment smelled wonderful. Iruka double-checked the pork he had placed into the oven to braise, making sure it was cooking evenly. Satisfied, he moved to the sink to work on his dishes. He felt a sudden prickle at the nape of his neck and smiled.

"Set the table, eh?" he asked over his shoulder at the slender man that had suddenly appeared near the window.

"One of these days, I'm going to sneak up on you," the other replied with a smirk, brushing light brown bangs back from his pale blue eyes. He moved obligingly into the small area that served as Iruka's kitchen and opened a cupboard to grab some plates. On his way back to the table, he paused just long enough to kiss Iruka on the cheek.

Iruka made a small noise in the back of his throat. He'd like to see Hiro try. Iruka spent all day monitoring a hectic classroom full of noisy children. He prided himself on his ability to locate even the stealthiest of pranksters.

"Well, anyway," Iruka said, drying his hands off on a towel. "How did the mission go?"

Hiro shrugged. "The usual," he said tersely. "We went out there, sat in the sun for ten days, then came home."

Iruka rolled his eyes and moved back to the oven to pull out the pork. "And I bet you didn't use any sun-block," he muttered dryly.

"Of course not." Hiro slipped past Iruka to snag chopsticks from a drawer as the chunin carried the chashu to the table. "Rice?"

"Needs to go into the tureen still." Iruka jerked his chin at the steaming rice-cooker on the counter. "Should be ready now, though."

They lapsed into comfortable silence as Hiro spooned heaps of the white grain into a large bowl. After a year, they were used to each other to the point where they didn't really need to talk to enjoy each other's company. Iruka, feeling a pang of sudden happiness, walked up behind Hiro and wrapped his arms around the shorter man's waist, molding himself to his back. The position was normally one Hiro would lean back into, but this time he hissed suddenly and arched away, shocking Iruka.

"What-" Iruka started.

"Sunburn!" Hiro gasped back.

Iruka let his forehead rest against the back of Hiro's head. He smelled like apricot shampoo, Iruka noted absently. "Did you sit around with your shirt off for two weeks?"

"The details of my mission are classified, but essentially, yes."

Iruka sighed into Hiro's hair. "After dinner I'll rub some aloe on it. For now, let's eat. I didn't slave away in a hot kitchen all evening for us to eat cold pork."


	3. Chapter 3

**AN**: Hi.

**Warnings: **Vague mentions of sex but that's not anything we can't handle, hm? Also, I am a notorious potty-mouth in general. I suppose a language warning should be in effect for the entirety of the fic since I'm sure I'll eventually use a few swears.

**Note: **This is where another liberty will be taken. Essentially, characters are being introduced (sort of) a little earlier than they are in the manga/series.

**Additional: **Thank you again to those who have reviewed and/or added this story their favorites and/or update alerts. If I could, I would high-five you guys.

C**hapter Three: In Which They Get a New Mission and Sakura Gets Absolutely Nowhere**

"You can't stay?" Iruka watched reluctantly as Hiro gingerly pulled his shirt on over the bright red sunburn blazoned across his back. The chunin stood from the edge of the bed, not bothering to get dressed. He had long since gotten over any body-shyness he may have had when they'd first started having sex. Considering his evening plans consisted of taking a shower, putting clothing on right then would have been counter-productive, anyway.

Hiro sighed and shook his head. "My family is expecting me back tonight. With grandmother's failing health, they're insistent that I spend as much time with her as possible."

Iruka couldn't argue with that, even though he would rather not have to share Hiro's attentions. The jonin had just gotten back into town and Iruka had missed him. "Tomorrow, then?"

"Maybe." Hiro frowned briefly as he zipped up his flak jacket. "There was talk of some sort of family function when I dropped by Father's house earlier today. I'll send word when I know." Hiro smiled reassuringly at the downtrodden look on Iruka's face before leaning forward to plant a kiss on his lips. "I shouldn't have to be deployed again for at least a week. We'll have time." His arms snaked up around Iruka's neck and he tucked his head under the taller man's chin.

Iruka returned the embrace as gently as he could, not wanting to cause Hiro's clothing to rub on the angry red burn. With a murmured farewell, Iruka stepped back to allow the jonin to teleport from the room.

Once alone in his apartment, Iruka sat heavily on the edge of his bed. He tried to push his annoyance out of his mind; Hiro never stayed. If it wasn't for the fact that they had been together for nearly a year, Iruka would have assumed he was just Hiro's fling, a one-night stand without the "passing out in a stranger's bed" part. Iruka understood that Hiro had duties to his family, but it still hurt when the other man didn't seem inclined to tell his parents that he wasn't going to be home for an evening. It wasn't like Iruka was asking Hiro to out himself to the entire Itou household.

Iruka flung himself backwards, cradling his head with his arms as he stared up at the ceiling above his bed. He smirked a little humorlessly at his situation: they had been sleeping together for the last seven or eight months without ever having actually slept together. True, Iruka's bed was only a full-sized mattress and it would be a little snug to share it with another body, but he would have preferred to snuggle next to someone than to spend the night hugging his pillow again. At least, he reflected, his pillow now smelled like Hiro. It was a small consolation, but Iruka would take what he could get.

With a shake of his head, he rolled off the end of his bed, gaining his feet in a fluid movement. Iruka moved toward his bathroom, fully intent on taking that shower. There were no classes the next day but he had his duties at the tower, handing out missions scrolls and filing reports. If he was going to be any form of useful to the Hokage, he needed to head to bed, and he refused to do that smelling like sex.

* * *

Kakashi watched his team unobtrusively over the top of his book as they walked in front of him. They were heading to the tower to pick up another mission scroll and his genin were talking excitedly amongst themselves, debating what task they would be given that day. Well, Sakura and Naruto were talking. Sasuke just slouched along with his hands in his pockets, looking the part of the little black raincloud he usually was.

Although Kakashi usually picked up their missions on his way to meet them, he had been running even later than usual. He may have been perpetually tardy, but even he had a limit to how long he would make his team wait before he showed up. Thus, he decided to bring the genin with him to get their next mission. It was a choice that made Kakashi decidedly edgy. The last time he had allowed them to accompany him to the tower, Naruto had convinced the Hokage to give them a harder mission, a mission that nearly killed half of them.

Despite his feelings of unease, Kakashi showed no outwards signs of being anything but his usual, bland self. Although he really wasn't reading his book, he flipped a page to keep up appearances, casually eavesdropping on his students. It was the same old spiel from the blonde boy regarding their lack of exciting missions. Kakashi decided to tune them out, letting his mind wander until they reached the entrance to the tower.

When they arrived on the floor where mission scrolls were handed out, Kakashi held back a groan. The place was packed with shinobi. By the look of the lines that serpentined their way through the room, they were short-handed on people to pass out missions. Craning his neck over the press of people, he could see only two shinobi seated behind the desks: Iruka and another one who's name slipped Kakashi's mind.

He did not like the thought of how long this was going to take. If it wasn't for the increase in available missions lately, he would have changed his mind about the whole thing and spent the day watching his students practice their jutsu. The town could use the revenue from the completed missions, though, so Kakashi resolved himself to stick it out and get his team a job. Grimly, he pocketed his book and steered the genin into what he was fairly certain was Iruka's line. Kakashi had the feeling that the Academy teacher would not allow Naruto to convince him to give them anything other than a D-rank mission.

As they slowly shuffled toward the front of the line, Kakashi watched the other ninja in the room, subconsciously recognizing acquaintances and putting names to faces. He didn't see anyone of much significance; most of those present were chunin. He saw a few jonin scattered here and there but none from his personal circle. That didn't surprise him; Kakashi did not have many friends.

"Aw, man. All the good missions are gonna be taken at this rate!" Naruto fidgeted from his spot next to Kakashi.

Sakura shot an openly annoyed look at Naruto. "Would you rather not do a mission?"

"Anything is better than babysitting or finding lost pets," the blonde complained.

Kakashi resisted the urge to roll his visible eye. He was just as tired of monitoring D-ranked missions as Naruto was of doing D-ranked missions, but he wasn't about to voice that opinion. Naruto, however had no qualms about speaking his mind.

"My talents are being wasted," Naruto continued, causing a few nearby chunin to curl their lips in distaste. "Maybe we can convince the old man to give us something more challenging again."

"We will not be repeating that mistake," Kakashi said dryly, shoving his hands into his pockets as the line inched forward another pace. He ignored the sour look on Naruto's face and debated taking his book back out. A movement from across the room caught his eye, however. "Hn. Sakura," he spoke without turning his gaze to the kunoichi.

"Yes, sensei?" She frowned up at him then traced his line of sight.

"Make sure you only pick up a D-ranked mission. I'll be in the back." Without waiting to see her nod, Kakashi slipped out of line and made his way to the rear of the room. As he emerged from the crowd, he was met with a blinding flash from the brightest smile in Konoha.

* * *

"Who's he talking to?" Naruto craned his neck around to try and see where Kakashi had gone.

"Some man in a green… leotard," Sasuke replied, his tone hedging on baffled.

"Seriously?" Sakura did her best to catch a glimpse, too. "Who in the world goes out in _public_ like that?"

Sasuke leaned to one side, peering between the lines. "I don't recognize him," he admitted. "I would remember someone who looked so… dumb. Seems like he knows Kakashi-sensei pretty well, though. They're laughing about something."

Sakura was about to reply when the ninja in front of her moved away, revealing the desk. "Oh, we're next!" Her words drew the boys' attention away from their sensei's odd companion and to the man sitting behind the table.

"Iruka-sensei!" Naruto grinned.

"Hello!" Iruka smiled genuinely at the three genin before shuffling through the papers in his hands, looking for an appropriate mission for them. "Keeping out of trouble?"

"Yes, Sir," Sakura replied for them. She held out her hand to take the scroll Iruka had picked from the pile. "What are we doing?"

"Please say it's more interesting than planting trees," Naruto begged, trying to snatch the scroll from Sakura. She held it at arm's length, her other hand planted firmly on his chest to keep him from reaching it.

"Oh, you'll like this one." Iruka grinned at the younger ninja. "It's a recon mission outside the village."

Naruto's face lit up. "Really, Iruka-sensei? That's awesome! Let me see it!" He made a try for the scroll again but Sakura thumped him soundly on the head with her empty fist.

"Kakashi-sensei told us to get a D-ranked mission," Sasuke spoke. "Aren't reconnaissance missions considered C-ranked or higher?"

"You're not going to be spying on enemy nin," Iruka told them patiently. "Lord Soto that lives in the foothills has noticed that his water source is considerably lessened lately. You'll just be going to his property and trying to find out why the stream is nearly dry when it's usually flowing smoothly at this time of the year."

Naruto frowned. "I don't know. That sounds an awful lot like all those other missions we've been doing lately." He eyed the scroll in Sakura's hand with distrust. "You sure this will be exciting?"

Iruka nodded. "Sure. It's pretty country out there and you'll have to travel a couple days to reach Lord Soto's land. Plus," Iruka's tone turned persuasive, "It pays twice the usual."

Sakura gapped at the instructor while Naruto pumped his fist into the air. Sasuke smirked and turned to start to walk away to allow the next ninja in line to get their scroll. As his teammates moved to follow, Sakura stopped short.

"Iruka-sensei?" she asked, drawing his attention away from the chunin that had been standing behind them. "Who is that ninja standing with Kakashi-sensei?"

Iruka had to stand and lean slightly to one side to see where Sakura pointed. "Oh, that's Guy-sensei. He's a jonin instructor, like Kakashi-sensei. Now get going. We're very busy today." He shoo'ed them away with a wave of his hand.

When Sakura joined her teammates a few paces away, Naruto's face was scrunched in thought. "Did Iruka-sensei say Guy?"

"Guy-_sensei_," Sakura corrected sternly. "Apparently he teaches genin like us."

Sasuke peered at the two jonin in the back of the room. "I wonder who his team is," he mused aloud.

"Hey, that's the guy that Iruka-sensei told me probably knows the most about Kakashi-sensei," Naruto told them quickly, snapping his fingers together as he remembered.

"Well, at least we now know what he looks like if we ever come up with another question," Sakura said logically.

"He's definitely hard to miss," Sasuke muttered, eyeing the tights-suit with disdain. "Anyway, we need to get moving if we're going out of the village." Shoving his hands into his pockets, Sasuke walked away toward Kakashi.

"Right." Sakura clutched the scroll to her chest and hurried to follow, Naruto bringing up the rear as he grinned at the prospect of their new mission.

* * *

By the time Team Seven made it back to their sensei, Guy had excused himself, vanishing in a puff of smoke. Kakashi held his hand out for the scroll without a word, opening it with a quick motion once Sakura deposited it in his palm. It looked innocent enough, he thought, reading it through twice before slipping it into his pouch for safe-keeping. Looking down at the eager faces of his team, Kakashi debated their departure time. It was nearly noon already and the Soto manor was at least two days away if they moved at a steady pace. They didn't have anyone to escort so they could travel at a higher speed. It would be a good chance to test his students' stamina.

"We'll meet at the bridge in an hour," he announced. "Be ready to move." With that, Kakashi waved a hand dismissively. His genin rushed to obey, their expressions determined. As soon as they were gone, Kakashi meandered out of the tower and toward his own apartment. He wasn't in any particular rush. The later he met up with them, the harder he could push them on the road.

It would be good to get out of the village for a few days, Kakashi reflected as his feet took him along the familiar streets of Konoha. Although he had been trying much harder not to let his mood follow him to the training grounds, he still felt the oppressiveness of his memories on his shoulders. A change in scenery could be helpful. Two days there, probably a full day of poking around upstream to find the problem – Kakashi suspected a beaver had set up a dam – then two days back meant they'd be gone for nearly a week. Plus, they would certainly be well cared for during their stay at the manor. The Sotos were a prosperous family and well known for their hospitality to guests, and their payment-generosity when hiring ninja. Kakashi suspected that Iruka had purposefully held this mission for them due to the instructor's fondness for Naruto.

The strong smell of roasting meat caused Kakashi to pause mid-step. His feet redirected to a small lunch-cart selling a variety of something-on-a-stick. He bought a couple before continuing on his way. He was only a couple blocks from his apartment and he hadn't thought to pack a lunch. A snack before they got on the road wasn't a bad idea.

Kakashi waited until he had firmly closed his door before pulling down his mask to eat. Without feeling any need to rush, Kakashi chewed on one of the skewers of chicken as he walked into his bedroom. He snagged his travel pack from the closet and tossed it onto his bed. One-handed, as the other clutched the stick of his second skewer, he dug through a chest of drawers. A small pile of clothing joined the backpack. A chest at the foot of his bed revealed extra weaponry, a few of which he tossed on top of the pile. He doubted they would need it, but the last time they had taken a mission that led them out of the village, things hadn't exactly gone according to plan.

The second meat-stick disappeared quickly as Kakashi moved to his bathroom to gather his toiletries. Mission or not, it was a travesty to neglect his teeth and he refused to leave without his toothbrush. It didn't matter that no one ever saw his mouth, let alone the teeth inside. The last time Kakashi had needed to have dental work was when he was seven and one of his baby teeth had refused to fall out. He wasn't about to break that streak by forgetting his gums.

One last stop in his kitchen took only a few minutes as Kakashi dug out some rations from his cupboards. In less than fifteen minutes, Kakashi was packed and ready to leave. That didn't mean he had any intention of heading to the bridge, though. Shouldering his pack, the jonin left the apartment and took the much-walked course to the memorial stone, instead.

* * *

Kakashi thought he did pretty well by only being ten minutes late to the bridge. His genin didn't share his opinion, though, and he spent the entire walk through town ignoring the lecture Sakura was attempting to give him regarding punctuality. He had an image to maintain, and being fashionably late was part of it. Nodding absently as though he really was listening, Kakashi pulled out his book, burying his nose in the pages.

"One of these days, you're going to walk right into a post, Kakashi-sensei," Sakura admonished, shaking her head at the jonin.

"Uh-huh," he murmured vaguely, flipping a page.

"Seriously, do you ever read anything else besides that book?" she continued. If he had bothered to look at her, he would have seen her disgusted expression. The tone of her voice was enough to relay her feelings about Icha Icha, though, so he could tell without taking his eyes off the passage he was reading.

"Sure," he replied with a shrug.

"Like what?" she asked next.

"Uh-huh." Kakashi flipped another page while Sakura sorted out her brief confusion at his reponse.

"Are you even listening to me?" she probed.

"Absolutely."

"Then what did I just ask?" she countered.

"Mm-hm," came his pre-programmed response.

Sakura threw up her hands, growling in frustration. "You're impossible!" she told him fiercely before speeding up to walk next to Sasuke a few paces in front.

"Quite." Kakashi smirked at the pages.

* * *

"We'll stop here for the night." Kakashi dropped down out of the trees to land on the loamy ground below. Three soft thwumps sounded as his students landed nearby. Kakashi glanced over his shoulder at the exhausted genin and smiled. They had done well, although they were not quite as far as he had hoped they would have gotten.

"Sakura," he started, turning his eye to the kunoichi. "Firewood duty. Sasuke, the fire itself. Naruto, there's a stream just over there." Kakashi handed his canteen to the boy and indicated that Sakura and Sasuke should do the same.

"What're you going to do?" Naruto asked as he juggled the bottles awkwardly in his arms.

"I'll make dinner once we have a fire and water." Kakashi gazed pointedly at his students. They shed their backpacks and hurried to obey his orders, realizing they would not get to eat until they had done as told.

With the genin occupied, Kakashi shrugged his backpack off and put it with the others. His stomach growled slightly as he started digging through the bags to find makings for dinner. He eyed the dry, tasteless ration bricks with disgust and shoved them to one side. Those were emergency supplies and they wouldn't touch them unless the situation was dire. Instead of eating the equivalent of high-calorie cardboard, Kakashi pulled out four Styrofoam bowls – one from each pack – that were emblazoned with various flavors across the top. He wasn't going to feed them all with his supplies, after all, especially since they had all packed food they were likely to eat.

"Is that ramen?" Naruto was back, hovering over his sensei. Cold stream water dripped from his arms onto the top of Kakashi's head. The jonin sent his charge a lazy look, noting that the lad had left the canteens by the fire pit where Sasuke was staring to arrange some of the wood from Sakura's first load.

"This one is actually udon." Kakashi lifted one of the bowls in his hand. "Go help Sakura get more firewood." The man gathered up the food bowls, picked up a small aluminum pot, and stood, making his way over toward Sasuke. The dark-haired boy blew a stream of flame onto the wood, coaxing the twigs to catch. Once the fire was established, Kakashi shooed the boy away to help the others get more firewood while he heated water in his travel pot.

The sun hugged the tops of the mountains by the time Kakashi called a halt to the wood gathering. They had a decent pile of thick, dry branches and the soups had steeped long enough. They sat around the fire, blowing on the broth in silence. Kakashi timed his eating for whenever his students' attentions were elsewhere, their eyes adverted to their food or to one another.

Kakashi knew he had little to fear from his students should they actually glimpse his face. They were too young to recognize his features and put negative connections together. It was the principle of the matter, really, that kept his mask up around them. Plus, it was amusing to witness their botched attempts at de-masking him. They were good kids but he wasn't about to destroy the mystery. Kakashi could count on one hand the number of living people who knew what he looked like.

With his dinner finished, Kakashi set his bowl aside and surveyed his sleepy students. "I'll take first watch," he told them. "Set out your sleeping bags near the fire, just don't roll into it."

"You're keeping watch?" Sakura sounded surprised. "We're still well within Fire territory."

"A complacent shinobi is a dead shinobi." Kakashi shifted on the ground, leaning back on his palms. "We were still within Fire territory when those Mist ninja attacked us," he reminded her, his tone casual.

"I'll take the second watch," Sasuke volunteered as he rolled out his sleeping bag on the flattest piece of ground he could find. Thankfully, the area they had chosen to bunker down in was covered in a carpet of spongy loam. The rocks were few and far between. Most of the ones in the tiny clearing had been gathered to make the fire pit.

"Naruto, you can watch after Sasuke; Sakura will take the early morning shift. I want us to be up with the sun." Kakashi let his eye relax into a smile. "Now get some sleep. I'll wake you up in a couple hours, Sasuke."

* * *

Sakura started suddenly, her kunai lifting automatically when she caught a movement out of the corner of her eye. She instantly relaxed when she saw her sensei crouch down next to her. "You're awake early," she commented quietly, not wanting to raise her voice enough to cause her teammates to awaken. They still had an hour before dawn by her best estimate.

"You don't have to sound so surprised by it," Kakashi replied. His single visible eye was impossible to read in the dim pre-dawn light. Their fire had long since burned down to smoldering embers as Sakura found no point in maintaining it when the night was warm and the sun would soon be up.

"You've never once showed up on time." Sakura pulled her knees up to her chest, hugging them with her arms. "I always just assumed you slept in late. I mean, with all those lame excuses you come up with."

Kakashi hummed slightly, tilting his head in thought. "I'm quite the early riser, actually," he told her. "I just have the bad luck of running into so many helpless people that need my assistance."

Sakura snorted. "Right. You're such a liar." She smiled, though. She and the others were starting to get used to Kakashi's wild tales and she had the feeling that, if he ever stopped using them, she would miss them.

They lapsed into silence for a while before Sakura felt she needed to speak again. It wasn't that she didn't like the quiet. It was more that she felt oddly comfortable sitting there with him and her courage had started to muster. Sasuke had pointed out that they knew so little about Kakashi. Maybe without Naruto making noise and Sasuke being extremely cool and distracting, she could have a serious conversation with the jonin.

"Why _are _you late all the time, Sensei?" Sakura rested her chin on her knees, regarding him closely from where she sat. Ember-light flickered across his dark profile, reflecting in his eye.

"Each day is different," he answered with a shrug. "Why, just last week I had to wait for an entire family of ducks to cross the road-"

"No, really, Sensei. Why are you late?" she pressed again, interrupting him. "And we've heard that excuse already," she added blandly.

Kakashi sighed and turned his head slightly to see her better. "Why do you wake up at five every morning, Sakura?" he questioned back.

"How do you know what time I wake up?" she demanded, just barely remembering to keep her voice down.

"You've mentioned it before," he replied simply. "You get up so early because there are things that you have to do before you start your day. It just so happens that the things I have to do often take longer than anticipated."

Sakura sucked on her teeth for a moment, considering his response. It didn't actually answer her question but it was a little more open than telling her he had to chase dogs away from some children or help an old lady get her cat out of a tree.

"What sorts of things?" she asked next, trying to sound as innocent as she could.

"The usual sort." Kakashi leaned back on his palms. He dropped his head back, watching the sky lighten as dawn approached. Sakura pushed on, knowing she wouldn't have much time before the boys started to wake up and they would have to leave.

"It takes you four hours to shave?" Her tone was incredulous and her eyebrows knit together. "You must have one heck of a five-o-clock shadow." To her surprise, Kakashi chuckled.

"How do you know I shave?" he returned, his eye twinkling as he sat up straight once more. "I could very well have the most luxurious beard."

"Your mask is too tight for that," she told him matter-of-factly. "If you had a beard it would be all lumpy."

"Ah, Sakura. You're too bright." He didn't speak further, though, and Sakura felt a twinge of frustration. Trying to get any information out of Kakashi-sensei was like trying to teach a warthog to play shogi. She was getting no closer to knowing more about him than when he had first sat down.

"Why do you wear that mask, anyway?" Sakura continued, trying one last time to get him to reveal _anything _about himself.

"It's extremely comfortable."

The corners of Sakura's mouth twitched downward as her inner-self threatened to stick something squashy in his sleeping bag for being so difficult. His roundabout way of avoiding disclosing a single personal detail of his life was infuriating.

From the other side of the fire, a body in a sleeping bag stirred, drawing Sakura and Kakashi's attentions to the form. Groggily, Naruto sat up and rubbed at his eyes with his knuckles. "Wha' time's it?" he slurred, blinking hazily across the fire at his teammates.

"Time to get up and packed," Kakashi replied cheerfully. With a fluid movement, the older ninja stood and moved to prod Sasuke into wakefulness. "We've all had quite enough beauty sleep for one night. If we get moving soon, we should be able to sleep in an actual bed tonight at Lord Soto's."

Sakura sighed resignedly and turned to her pack to dig out a granola bar. She'd share her findings – or lack thereof – with the boys later when their eccentric sensei was out of earshot.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN:** Yo.

**Warnings: **Nope.

**Note: **You may have noticed my distinct lack of honorifics, with the exception of "sensei." As I am not Japanese, nor do I speak that particular language, I do not feel that I can adequately assign these honorifics to the characters. Thus, you're going to be subjected to the Western method: First name first, last name last, and all that jazz. So just imagine you're watching the English dub/ reading the English manga translation.

**Additional: **Thank you for the reviews and the 'adds.' Much obliged. *high-fives*

**Chapter Four: In Which There is Chaos and Things Get a Bit Damp**

Despite their best efforts, Team Seven did not make the Soto manor by that evening. Kakashi had debated whether or not to push them on during the night but he did not want to show up at the Lord's front door at two a.m. Knowing that waking up the household in the middle of the night might lead to their dismissal from the mission, the jonin decided that they would just have to camp out for another night. They would strike out early the next day and reach the manor before noon.

An uneventful night similar to the previous one played out, with the exception that he didn't hold a non-conversation with Sakura about himself. He knew they were curious but they were just kids. He wasn't going to tell them a damn thing unless he had a good reason. Hell, it had taken him ten years to tell Guy that he liked to cook, and that crazy man was the closest Kakashi had to a best friend. His genin didn't have a chance.

They had continued on their way early the morning, sticking to the treetops for speed. About a mile from the edge of Soto's complex, Kakashi held up a hand to call a halt to their progress. He alighted on a large branch and waited for the younger ninja to catch up. As soon as they had gathered, Kakashi pointed down to the ground below them. A distinct brown line wound its way across the forest floor, curving around the trees: the road leading up to the lord's property. Without a word, the four ninja dropped down to land on the packed dirt of the path.

Kakashi checked the sun's position and allowed himself to feel a touch of satisfaction that they were making good time. They would walk the rest of the way, allowing his team to recoup from the strenuous exercise of tree-hopping. It wouldn't do to show up winded, after all. So long as nothing on the ground delayed them, they would be to the outer walls of the Soto household within the half-hour.

The walk was a pleasant one. Although the trees blocked most of the breeze and a good deal of the sunshine, the road was still dappled with light. The temperature was comfortable and the forest was peaceful. Kakashi had always liked traveling in the foothills during the summer months, even if it was incredibly hot for mid June. At least the hot-snap seemed to be waning lately.

"I see a gate!" Naruto suddenly exclaimed as the path took a wide turn around a thick copse of trees.

The gate was attached to a long wooden wall that stretched into the trees on either side of the road. They could see the tops of the multiple roofs over it, indicating that the house – or houses – beyond were extensive, but not tall. Apparently the Soto complex was only a single level. The sheer size of the grounds on the other side of the wall spoke of immense wealth.

"Whoa," Naruto gasped. Kakashi's hand landed on his shoulder before the young ninja had the chance to race forward toward the structure.

"It's huge," Sakura murmured in awe from Kakashi's other side. Beside her, Sasuke didn't look terribly impressed. He had grown up in the Uchiha complex, though, which was larger even than Soto's.

"Before we go in," Kakashi told them firmly, using deft fingers to spin Naruto around to face him, "we need to go over some ground rules. You will behave yourselves. Lord Soto is the head of a civilian family. He is very well known in Konoha as a generous beneficiary to the town and anything you do here could be seen as a reflection of the village. We do not want to make him reconsider his devotion to Konoha's financial well being."

Naruto blinked a couple times then glanced at his companions. Sakura and Sasuke were nodding their understanding. Naruto jerked his chin down a couple times and Kakashi had to wonder if the blonde was merely copying his teammates. Sometimes the knucklehead was slow to catch on.

"You will do as you are asked, you will not argue with the family, and you will _not _hit anyone." Kakashi's fingers dug into Naruto's shoulder for emphasis, remembering Naruto's methods of dealing with Inari. "This should not take longer than a day or two. We will go in, do our job, and leave them with the impression that Konoha shinobi are professionals. Do I make myself clear?"

His genin nodded again and he continued in a slightly more gentle tone, releasing Naruto. The boy rubbed absently at his shoulder. "Noble families tend to do things by the book. Strict customs; manners; procedures. If you're not sure what to say or do, just refer back to me." Kakashi moved past them, heading for the gate. He wasn't particularly keen to be spending time in the home of a lord, considering most of his past experiences with noble families had not ended on very pleasant notes. The money for this mission was decent, though. Although he did not really need the income, he knew his students would benefit from the payment.

They paused at the gate while Kakashi pulled a cord attached to the wall. A chime was heard from beyond the wooden structure. While they waited for someone to answer, Sakura sidled up to Kakashi.

"Sensei," she near-whispered. "What are these people like?"

"I've never met the Soto family," he told her honestly. "But I would imagine they're like many of the lords around these parts."

"Stuffy?" Naruto supplied, shifting his weight impatiently.

"You could say that." Kakashi smiled slightly. "Just do what I said and we'll be fine. You are ninja; there is no reason to be intimidated by them."

"I'm not intimidated-" Naruto's words were cut off as foot falls sounded behind the gate. Slowly, the wooden door swung inward just far enough for a tiny head to pop out. Large, dark eyes stared at them and a small mouth gaped open. Then, the child squealed as if shocked and vanished back behind the gate. They could hear the clack-clack of her wooden sandals as she retreated.

"She is." Sasuke smirked before pushing the gate open a little further. It swung open easily on well-oiled hinges, revealing the sweeping lawn and paved paths criss-crossing the yard before them. Set back from the wall was the large main building of the estate. The sliding front door was still partially open.

"Do we go in, sensei?" Sakura asked, hands gripping the straps of her pack. The entry gate was open to the sky and the sun was shining down on them somewhat uncomfortably.

"No." Kakashi shoved his hands into his pockets, affecting a bored look. "She'll tell someone in the house and they will come out. You do not enter a lord's property unless invited – or unless you're there for other things." He did not elaborate what those "other things" were but Sakura was smart enough to figure out that Kakashi was referring to thief or assassination.

"I'm surprised they didn't know we were here already." Naruto kicked a pebble off the path.

"There are no ninja here," Sasuke noted, glancing around. "I don't sense any chakra at all."

"If there were ninja here," Kakashi said blandly, casting his gaze at Sasuke, "we would not have been called in to check on their water supply. Now shush. Someone's coming."

Sure enough, the sound of footsteps reached their ears. A beanpole of a man came bustling into view from the left side of the complex. He looked distinctly harried, his dark yukata askew. His face was drawn and his white hair stuck up at odd angles. Kakashi blinked a few times; one of the tuffs of hair had a pink ribbon attached. From the corner of his eye, Kakashi saw Naruto open his mouth and quickly trod on the younger ninja's toes.

"Leaf ninja!" the man exclaimed, his dark eyes flicking widely between the four of them.

"Good morning," Kakashi greeted cheerfully, removing one hand from his pocket to raise it in hello. He then dipped that hand into his pouch and pulled out the mission scroll. "We have business with Lord Soto."

The elder servant mumbled something unintelligible under his breath before waving both his hands around. "Yes, yes, that's right. The river. Yes. Okay." He shuffled hurriedly across the front lawn, calling over his shoulder without a pause, "Please, if you would. Bad timing. So much. But the river. Yes, yes."

Sakura and Naruto exchanged startled looks. The corner of Sasuke's eye twitched. Kakashi merely blinked slowly once before stepping through the gate to follow the strange, skittish servant. He wondered what had gotten the man so flustered, or if he was normally that jittery. He didn't have long to wait to find out.

Ditching his sandals in the front room, Kakashi stepped up onto the platform of the entryway as his students followed suit. The servant offered them soft indoor slippers in such a way that suggested they were not to be refused.

They followed the elder through a sliding door on the far side and were hit with an immediate sense of chaos. Kakashi was surprised how well the door had suppressed the noise in the other room. His eye widened slightly as he and his genin were ushered into the middle of what looked like a battlefield.

A large table was set up low to the ground, covered in a wide variety of delicious smelling dishes, and the room was filled with people. Lots and lots of people. A second look, once Kakashi's senses adjusted to so many bodies in one space, revealed that most of those people were girls, their ages ranging anywhere from sixteen or seventeen down to a toddler just walking. They were speaking to each other in a chorus of high voices, each trying to out-talk the others as they dinned. The younger girls raced around the perimeter of the room, shrieking in delight as they tried to catch each other. There was a five-year-old trying to climb an ornamental closet in the corner. Servants rushed everywhere, attempting unsuccessfully to corral the errant girls back to the table to finish their meal.

"Customs, manners, and procedures, eh, Sensei?" Naruto asked, a laugh starting to bubble up from his belly.

Kakashi had no answer to that, just as bewildered by the throng as his students were. He was better at hiding the emotion though, looking around to see if he could spot someone in charge. At the head of the table, sipping at some tea as if he sat in a quiet garden and not this chaotic frenzy, was a portly man in his early forties. His eyes were closed and he had not heard them enter over the noise of the room.

The servant left Kakashi and his team standing just inside the door way, hurrying over to the lord at the table. The skinny elder whispered furiously into Soto's ear before sweeping his hand toward the ninja. Soto's eyes snapped open and he turned his head to regard the team.

"_**Silence!" **_He barked suddenly. The entire room stilled with that one word. "Ozuru! Why are these people still carrying their own bags? Someone take them to the guest wing!"

A woman who looked about as frazzled as Ozuru hurried up to them, bowing. "This way, if you please-"

"No, no, no!" Soto surged to his feet, his protruding belly making the task somewhat difficult. "Take their _bags_ to their rooms! Not them!" He shook his head and threw his hands up. "Gah, our guests must join us for lunch!"

Kakashi exchanged a side-long glance with his students but nodded to them to hand their packs over to the servants that came to retrieve them. The short, plump Soto moved up to them as soon as they had unloaded their burdens. He thrust his hand forward at Kakashi. Cautiously, Kakashi took the offered hand, shaking it with his own. This was not the reception he had been anticipating. Soto was unexpectedly informal.

"Lord Soto," Kakashi began, fishing out the mission scroll again when the ham-handed man released him. "We've been sent by Konoha to investigate-"

"Of course you have!" Soto boomed, clapping Kakashi on the shoulder hard enough to knock a normal man forward a pace. Kakashi held his ground with a surge of chakra to his feet. "Why else would there be shinobi in my home?" Soto moved to the table and dislodged a line of seated girls with a nudge of his slipper. "Move on down there! Bring plates!" He hollered over his shoulder toward a servant standing near another door. "Come, have some lunch!"

Kakashi _was _hungry and he knew his students would be as well, but he would much rather have gotten to work on this mission. Plus, he wasn't going to be able to eat in front of everyone. He was about to politely decline with the excuse that his team needed to get to work, when he caught the longing looks Sakura and Naruto were giving the lunch spread. With a silent sigh, Kakashi walked to the pillow that Soto was indicating and knelt down, noting he was on the lord's direct right. Beside him, his students lowered themselves gratefully onto the pouffes. Naruto needed no second urging as he started to fill his plate from the dishes within his reach. Around them, the uproar of conversation and activity resumed as if the four shinobi were an everyday sight for them, although Kakashi noticed quite a few of the girls kept looking their way when they thought no one was watching.

The jonin gazed at his three genin as they tucked into the luncheon, feeling a twinge of regret for his steadfast refusal to remove his mask in public. He could smell the soup and knew it had eggplant in it. He wondered if he could request some for later, when he could eat alone.

"Now," Soto said with a grunt as he lowered his girth back into his seat. He picked his tea cup up and started sipping once more, regarding Kakashi with a curious stare. "As you've probably gathered, I'm Lord Aito Soto. This is my family." He swept one of his thick hands at the conglomerate of women and girls scatted throughout the room. "Tell me, who has Konoha sent to my humble home?"

It was an odd way to ask their names but Kakashi shrugged it off. This man was not what he would call "normal" by any means. He opened his mouth to introduce himself and his students when a girl of about seven dashed up to the lord. She looked particularly agitated, dancing from foot to foot as she clutched an open book to her chest. Her black hair was adorned with the same pink ribbons as Ozuru's, making Kakashi suspicious that she was the one to blame for the old servant's odd appearance.

"Daddy!" she hissed at Soto, eyes flicking over at their visitors before going back to her father. "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy!"

Soto huffed visibly and turned his dark eyes to the little girl. "What? Can you not see I'm speaking to guests?"

"Look! Look, look, look!" With hardly any warning, she thrust the book into her father's face, pages toward him. "_See_?"

Soto fumbled with the book for a moment as it fell from his face into his hands. He peered down at the open page, his eyebrows quirking upward. "Well, I'll be," he said, his expression curious as he looked between Kakashi and the book. The jonin attempted to catch a surreptitious look at the book but Soto was handing it back to his antsy daughter. "Kakashi Hatake, in my house!"

Kakashi inclined his head slightly. "Ah, you've heard of me."

"You're in my book!" the little girl interrupted, turning to the ninja. She shoved it at him the same way she had to her father. Kakashi was much more graceful about accepting it, though. He turned his attention to the page she was indicating, his own face stared blandly back. He flipped it over to check the title; it was a bingo book.

"What in the world are you doing with one of these?" he voiced. He returned his eyes to the page with his information on it. "This is a bit outdated." He noted that his height and weight differed on the stat sheet from his current measurements, and his picture looked decidedly younger.

"Uncle Shinji gave it to me," the child replied mulishly. "Will you sign it?" Without waiting to see if Kakashi was going to agree, the girl handed him a pen and then stared expectantly at the page.

Soto sighed dramatically. "Kimiko," he started warningly but Kakashi waved the hand holding the pen a couple times dismissively.

"It's fine." With a quick scribble, Kakashi signed the bottom corner of the picture. He paused and then, as an afterthought, added a tiny doodle of a masked ninja giving a victory sign. He handed her the book and she squealed, racing off before Kakashi had the chance to return the pen.

"I'm curious how your daughter has a ten-year-old bingo book," Kakashi drawled, toying with the pen. "I don't sense any ninja in the area."

Soto chuckled a couple times and shook his head. "Shinji is actually my son-in-law," the lord explained, pouring himself more tea despite the number of servants hovering nearby. "Although due to the age gap, most of my children just call him 'Uncle.'" He held the pot up invitingly, jerking his chin at a cup sitting near Kakashi's empty plate. Although Kakashi was about to turn down the offer, Soto filled the cup anyway. "Naturally, he lives at his father's estate with my eldest daughter now. Kimiko has always been fascinated by you shinobi so he made a gift of his outdated book."

"Shinji is a ninja?" Kakashi kept his tone casual but his natural curiosity was starting to peak.

"Hm, yes. He doesn't frequent Konoha often these days from what I understand, helping his father with his lands, but you may have heard of him." Soto paused to sip his tea, his enjoyment of the drink plain on his face. "Ah, that's a nice cup. Anyway, his name is Shinji Hibei."

There was a sharp crack as the pen in Kakashi's hand snapped in half. He ignored the open stares from his students and instead focused on the ink that was dripping down his hand onto the table top.

Soto opened his mouth a couple times while a servant rushed forward with a cloth to clean up the mess. "I, uh, take it you have heard of him?" The lord took another long drink of his tea, creases forming on his brow as he frowned into his cup.

"Yes," Kakashi said shortly, accepting the towel from the serving girl to wipe his hand off. He did not want to elaborate, though, his baleful eye made that much clear to even the least observant on-looker.

"Well, I don't meddle in the affairs of shinobi," Soto stated somewhat awkwardly. "It was a very good match, though. They're quite well off. They live in the southern region, farming cabbage I believe. Not nobility, but good people."

Kakashi said nothing as he handed the towel back to the servant. He snagged the cup of tea Soto had poured for him and drank it quickly through his mask. A small part of him wished it had been sake. Of all the names to come up while on a D-ranked mission, Hibei was not one Kakashi had expected. At least the only thing Soto was rambling on about was the eldest son.

"Shame about Yasu, though," Soto continued, obviously groping for an end to the uncomfortable silence that was radiating from the ninja. The corners of Kakashi's mouth turned downward and his fingers twitched on his tea cup. "I'm sure you heard about that. It was a big to-do about ten years ago and all. ANBU was involved, after all, and whenever ANBU are involved you know there's something serious going on. Shinji told me they haven't heard from him since he left-"

"Lord Soto," Sakura interjected suddenly. Kakashi's lone eye swiveled to the right to look at the kunoichi, although he didn't turn his head. "You certainly have a lot of children." She made a point of looking around at everyone in the room. The group of women jumped, realizing they had been gawking. If Kakashi was the kind to hug, he would have given one to Sakura. She had given Soto the perfect change of subject.

"Oh!" The plump man chuckled a little, grasping at the line Sakura had thrown him. "No, no! Not all of these are mine." He beamed and pointed out a series of young ladies throughout the room, although Kakashi couldn't tell exactly who he was pointing to. "Those nine are mine. The rest belong to my siblings and cousins." He smiled then. "As you can see, girls run in the family quite strongly."

"Wow." Sakura glanced around again but the ladies had gone back to whatever they were doing. As lunch wound down, many were excusing themselves to various other activities. "Nine daughters? How does anyone get any time in the bathroom?"

"I have an entire building dedicated to that," Soto told her. Although his face was serious, his eyes sparkled in good humor. "I had it installed when I started boarding my brother's girls. Six of them! They're mostly grown now, though."

"Man, I don't know if I could eat another bite!" Naruto sat back from the table, a hand splayed over his belly. "This was great, Lord Soto! Thanks!"

The lord inclined his chin at the boy then started in place. "I never got any of your names! We were distracted by Kimiko's book."

Kakashi mentally shook his head at the odd man before moving into introductions of his students. He hoped they could excuse themselves soon; he didn't want to linger any longer than necessary with the jovial man. He had a lot to think on.

* * *

The riverbed, normally flowing smoothly, held barely more than a trickle when Team Seven finally made it away from lunch. Lord Soto had informed them that the water source came from a spring somewhere higher up in the mountains, past a sheer rock wall that he dared not send any of his household up for investigation. For the entire river to be nearly dry, something had to be happening upstream. The spring had not stopped flowing for the generations the Soto's had been settled in that location.

There was no point looking around downstream so Kakashi led his team along the edge of the riverbed toward the rock wall Soto had mentioned. It was only about a fifteen minute walk from the complex but Kakashi was glad to get away. The noise of all those children in one place, mixed with the peculiar stares he received – especially after breaking the pen – was irritating. He had just started to shake his horrible mood and a single word from Soto had plunged him back into the gloom.

Hibei. The timing could not have been worse to be hearing that name again. He felt a cold chill run down the length of his back despite the heat of the day and Kakashi wondered if it really was coincidence to encounter someone familiar with the Hibei clan, and at least partially familiar with the scandal of Yasu Hibei. The way Soto was talking, Kakashi was at least sure that the older man had no idea that the ANBU involved had been the exact ninja sitting less than two feet from him. He hadn't gone by his real name back then, but that didn't stop those involved from knowing who he was. How many ANBU had gray hair and a sharingan?

Kakashi shuddered and tried to push the memories from his mind. He had a mission to concentrate on, even if it was something as simple as "climb wall, unplug hole."

When they reached the foot of the cliff, Kakashi could appreciate Soto's reluctance to send servants to investigate. The sheer rock wall rose at least three stories up and there was little in the way of foot holds. A trickle of water splattered down where a waterfall usually rushed, the rock showing signs of erosion from the passing years.

"How are we going to get up that, Sensei?" Sakura asked, placing her palm against the smooth stone.

"Do you remember the tree-climbing exercise in the Land of Waves?" Kakashi returned casually. "And the handstands?"

"How could we forget?" Naruto muttered, scowling.

Kakashi ignored his tone and let his eye curve into a smile. Holding up a hand, he wiggled his fingers. "Observe." It took only a second to summon chakra into his fingertips. He walked up to the wall and, reaching up as far as he could, planted his hand against the stone. Slowly, he pulled his body off the ground with just the tips of his fingers.

"Whoa!" Naruto clenched his fists, eyes shining. "That's so cool, Kakashi-sensei!"

"Considering we've been practicing gathering chakra into various points of our body, this should be simple enough for you guys to pick up." Kakashi swung his body toward the wall, adhering the fingertips of his other hand higher up. "Fingers and toes. Up with you." Without waiting to see if his students followed, Kakashi started to scale the wall. He could hear their grunts below him as they tried to focus their energies in the proper amounts as they climbed. He wasn't concerned about them being able to make it to the top; he had faith in their abilities.

He made it over the lip at the top and sat back to wait for the younger ninja. He wasn't surprised to see Sakura's pink head pop over the edge first – her chakra control was truly exceptional. She was followed closely by Sasuke and then Naruto, who was looking especially dour for having brought up the rear.

"Well done," Kakashi praised as he stood. He planted his hands on his hips and regarded the junior ninja with approval. They were all improving by leaps and bounds since he had agreed to take them on.

They moved quickly once on top of the cliff, following the twists and turns of the near-empty riverbed through the woodlands. Even with the uneven terrain and the thick underbrush, they were able to make good time. Kakashi estimated they had only been hiking for a quarter of an hour when they came across the obvious cause of the decrease in water flow.

They emerged from the brush just below what was once a shallow valley. The southern most part was mostly blocked by multiple fallen logs, effectively turning the basin into a lakebed. It wasn't exactly the work of beavers, but Kakashi had gotten the general idea correct. A quick inspection showed that an old cedar had finally given up its grip on the earth and, when it crashed down, took a few smaller trees with it.

Carefully, the jonin hopped up the pile of logs to stand on the topmost trunk. Although there was water still seeping out both under and between the trees, the lake's level was rapidly rising. Soon, the water level would be high enough to start pouring over to the top of the deadfall. Kakashi rubbed his chin through his mask, debating their course of action. On one hand, they could just leave it alone and let the lake form. Eventually the water would be high enough to just go over the deadfall. However, they risked the make-shift damn breaking free, sending a deluge of water rushing toward the cliff and, subsequently, the Soto complex.

The best thing to do would be to slowly remove the debris, allowing the lake to drain gradually back into the riverbed. It would take some time, though, and Kakashi wasn't looking forward to spending any extended amount of time in that house filled with noise. With a sigh, the jonin jumped down next to his team.

"This will take longer than originally planned," he told them grimly. "We'll need to remove the blockage-"

"That'll be easy! Shadow-Clone Jutsu!" Naruto's fingers were already crossed in front of his body. Before Kakashi had the chance to utter another word, solid likenesses of the loud boy exploded into existence.

"Alright, guys," Naruto commanded, pointing at the logs. "Let's do this!"

"Naruto, wait!" Kakashi stretched out a hand to grab the energetic boy but Naruto had already surged toward the blockage, disappearing into his pack of clones. "Stop him," Kakashi snarled to the two remaining genin. "If he tears that down, the resulting flood could destroy the compound."

Sakura and Sasuke leapt into the press of Narutos as the boys started to clamber up the log pile. Kakashi glared and brought his own fingers up in front of his body. He had watched Naruto do the jutsu enough times that he hadn't needed the sharingan to copy it. With a growl, Kakashi spat out the jutsu. Immediately, a slew of Kakashis popped into being, charging after the orange-clad genin. The original Copy-Nin joined them, ramming forcefully into the first Naruto he reached. It disappeared in a puff of smoke and Kakashi barely battled an eye before taking out two more with a well placed kick.

Before long, the log jam was covered in scuffling ninja. Kakashi-clones were busily dragging Naruto-clones off the fallen trees, disposing of them with fast, hard hits the moment their feet touched the forest floor. In a matter of moments, the real Naruto had been apprehended. The clone that caught him handed the boy over to the jonin before disappearing with a poof.

"That was incredibly stupid," Kakashi told him firmly, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared down at the boy.

"You need to listen to your squad leader," Sakura scolded, pointing her finger at the blonde. "Assess the situation before you jump to a conclusion! Think before you take action-"

"Thank you, Sakura, that will be enough." Kakashi shifted slightly, eye narrowing at Naruto. The younger ninja looked contrite enough although his mouth was set in a stubborn line.

"I was just trying to help," Naruto grouched. "Those trees are no match for someone like me!"

"You dummy," Sasuke muttered, joining the conversation. "How much water do you think is behind those trees?"

Naruto turned his eyes to the logs, his brows furrowing. "I dunno… a lot, I guess."

"And where will that water go if we suddenly unblocked the valley?" Kakashi continued, an edge of anger in his voice. He did not often show more than lazy boredom to his genin and they all understood that any show of strong emotion from their sensei was not a good sign.

"Kakashi-sensei," Sakura moved to interrupt.

"Let him answer, Sakura," Kakashi chided.

"No, it's just-" Sakura tugged on Kakashi's sleeve. "Sensei, the logs."

Kakashi's head whipped around to look at the log jam, finally taking note of the urgency in the kunoichi's voice. Water was spurting out from between the trunks more forcefully than it had before the Shadow Clones climbed all over the dam. He could hear the distinct sound of wood groaning as it strained against the force pushing from behind.

"Shi-" Kakashi's hands moved to form symbols as a loud crack broke the air. Water rushed forward, throwing debris at the team as it surged past its broken barrier. Kakashi leapt upward into the trees above before the wall of water reached him. Forms landed in nearby branches and he allowed himself a split second of relief at the sight of Naruto and Sasuke. It was a short-lived emotion, however, when he realized they were one short.

"Sakura!" Kakashi's eyes scanned the rushing flow of water that overflowed the previously dry banks of the riverbed. A flash of pink disappeared as a strong current yanked the kunoichi beneath the surface. Without a backward glance at the boys – he knew they would follow and he did not have time to give orders first – Kakashi darted through the treetops. They had two distinct problems that needed to be dealth with: retrieve Sakura and stop the water before it crashed through Lord Soto's bedroom.

Kakashi's mind raced through jutsu, trying to determine what would serve him best in this situation. He could freeze the river but that risked injuring Sakura and he was not going to needlessly risk the lives of his team on something as trivial as an out-of-control river. They would need to get her out of the water first. Despite the danger of the swirling, flotsam-filled river, Kakashi knew the only way to accomplish this was to divide and conquer.

"Sasuke, Naruto." Kakashi saw Sakura's head break the surface again. "I'm going to trust you to get her out of there alive."

"Where are you going?" Naruto demanded as Kakashi sped up, zipping through the treetops. The jonin didn't reply, leaving them far behind. They were able to survive Haku; they could figure out how to save their teammate without him holding their hands. He just hoped they would be able to do it before he turned the river into a solid sheet of ice.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: **Howdy.

**Warnings: **Why do I even bother putting this here? There won't be anything to warn about for a while.

**Notes: **Sun-tea is amazing.

**Additional: **Thanks, everyone. I hope you're enjoying reading this as I'm having a good time writing it. I appreciate the feedback I've received as well as the "adds." As usual, if you see any typos, feel free to point them out so I can fix them.

**Chapter Five: In Which They Conspire and Kakashi Meets an Old Acquaintance **

Sakura took a shuddering breath the moment her head broke the surface of the rushing river. She tried to get her bearings but all she could see was water, broken branches, and the blurred green of the trees above as she was pulled downstream. Despite her situation, Sakura's mind was working. She hadn't panicked, and she certainly hadn't frozen when the dam broke. She just hadn't jumped fast enough; her foot had been caught by a branch mid-leap, pulling her down under the water.

Sputtering, Sakura tried to swim toward the edge of the river. She was usually a pretty good swimmer, but the current from so much pent-up water dragged her back, dunking her under. She felt something hard smack into her and she gasped, breathing in a mouthful of river. She came to the surface again, hacking and wheezing, struggling to bring air into her lungs. Large chunks of tree bobbed past, threatening to hit her again as she was swirled around by the flow.

"Sakura!" There was a streak of orange near the bank and Sakura struggled to lift herself far enough out of the water to see Naruto as he raced along beside the river. "Catch!" he called, flinging something at her.

The girl couldn't see what he had tossed but she lifted her hand automatically to catch it. Before her fingers were able to grip the object – she thought it looked like a kunai attached to a length of rope – she felt her body slam backwards against something solid: a boulder protruding from the water. This time, though she cried out from the pain, her hands scrabbled at the offending rock. Without really thinking about it, she threw chakra into her fingertips, planting them against the firm, unmoving stone. Slowly, her energy drained from trying to stay above the swelling waterway, she dragged herself half onto the stone. It only stuck out of the water by about a foot, but it was enough to prevent her from heading further downstream and over the fast-approaching cliff-side.

Blinking water from her eyes, she searched the bank for her team. Sasuke and Naruto stood at the edge of the water, talking quickly. She watched, exhausted, as Sasuke was tying something around his waist. Naruto, face set into grim determination, brought his hands up into his signature move. Five Narutos grabbed the end of the rope and nodded to Sasuke. Then, with hardly a pause, Sasuke leapt for the water.

He landed on a log as it careened down the river, wobbling only slightly despite the unsteady surface. He stayed there only a second before jumping to another, closer piece of debris. Quickly, before his make-shift boats could take him too far down the waterway, Sasuke took a final dive toward Sakura, splashing into the water just upstream of the rock. When he reached it, he grabbed the stone with one hand and Sakura with the other.

"Hold on," he commanded shortly. She obediently wrapped her arms around his torso as he slung his free arm around her waist. If the situation hadn't been so dire, inner-Sakura would have thrown a fist-pump into the air. As it was, she had more important things to think about, such as not dying.

Sasuke turned his head toward the bank. There were no more chunks of flotsam to use as stepping stones, and it was obvious Sakura was at the end of her strength from fighting with the current. Gritting his teeth, Sasuke released the rock, pulling Sakura tightly to his side. "Now!" he hollered to the bank.

A chorus of Narutos screamed, "Heave!" and the rope snapped taught. Slowly but surely, Naruto reeled them in against the strong tug of the water. More than once the current yanked them under but a powerful kick of Sasuke's legs propelled them upward to the surface. It felt like an agonizingly long time before Sakura felt the scrape of dirt and rock under her feet. She stumbled, still clinging to Sasuke like a burr to a stocking. It wasn't until both her feet were on the dry ground that he let her go, easing her carefully to the forest floor.

"Here, Sakura." Something heavy dropped over her shoulders and she blinked at the orange jacket Naruto had placed there. "I wish I had a towel but that'll do for now, okay?"

"Are you alright?" Sasuke sat next to her, water streaming down his face from his hair. He was panting slightly from the effort of swimming against the current but seemed otherwise unfazed.

"Yes, thank you. Both of you." Sakura clutched Naruto's jacket around her body. Even with the sun shining down on them, she felt incredibly cold from the water and exertion. She glanced around, shivering. "Where's Kakashi-sensei?"

Before either of the boys could reply, a strange crackling sound met their ears. Bemused, they looked downstream toward the source of the noise. To their surprise, a sheet of ice was racing along the river, solidifying the water as it went. A long, thin strip remained unfrozen down the center, allowing some of the water to continue to flow peacefully along its path.

There was a puff of smoke from their right, revealing Kakashi. His hair lay limp on his head, water dripping down off it, and his clothing was plastered to his frame. There was a flicker of relief in his visible eye when he saw Sakura on the bank with the other two, but it vanished quickly to be replaced with his usual, laid-back expression.

"Yo." He held up a soggy hand. "Good job." He walked toward them, sandals squelching.

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura started to rise but a firm hand on her shoulder prevented her from doing so.

"You should sit for a bit," Sasuke told her. He used her shoulder to push himself into a standing position, though. Slowly, he removed his lower-arm sleeves and started to wring them out.

"I'm glad to see you're all not frozen." Kakashi moved to shove his hands in his pockets but second-guessed the motion when it took longer than a few seconds to _find _his pockets. They were plastered flat to his legs. He turned the motion into an akimbo stance as if that's what he had intended to do all along.

Naruto tapped the ice with his foot. "This is solid," he announced. "Kakashi-sensei, this is awesome!"

"What if I hadn't gotten out of the river in time?" Sakura asked quietly, eyeing the area where the rock was. It was completely iced over.

Their sensei averted his eyes and stared upward at the sky, as if he was terribly interested in something overhead. "Ah, well," he said slowly. "I suppose we would have had to… thaw you out a bit."

Sakura's mouth opened and shut a few times but she couldn't think of much to say to that. She looked at her teammates. Naruto shared her expression and Sasuke's lips were thin.

"But I knew I'd left you in capable hands," Kakashi continued. "We should start heading back to the complex to explain the situation to Lord Soto." His eye returned to Sakura. "Can you walk?"

"I think so." Sakura managed to pull herself to her feet. She started to hand the jacket back to Naruto but he waved his hand at her.

"Nah, I'm all sweaty," he told her, fanning at his armpits to make his point. The corner of Sakura's eye twitched slightly, not at all liking the thought that she was wearing a jacket infused with essence of Naruto, but she smiled anyway. It was nice of him to give it to her, after all.

"Let us know if you need to rest along the way." Kakashi's tone was serious as he turned and started to squish his way downriver.

About five minutes along, Naruto fell in step with Kakashi, his arms folded behind his head as he walked. "Sensei," he started, frowning at the older ninja. "If you turned the river to ice… why are you all wet?"

"I decided that I needed to take a shower before coming back to retrieve you guys."

"Fully clothed?" Naruto pressed.

"I also needed to do some laundry."

Sakura had to clap a hand over her mouth before her laugh broke free. "You are such a liar, Sensei," she muttered with a shake of her head.

* * *

The guest wing of the Soto manor was quiet save for the continual scratching of Kakashi's pen against the mission report scroll he had open on the small lap table. Sakura, whose room was situated next to theirs, had gone to bed well over an hour ago, stating that she was still pretty exhausted from her watery ordeal. Behind him, Sasuke and Naruto were tucked into their futons. Kakashi spared a glance back at the boys and smiled to himself. Well, _Sasuke _was tucked into his bed. Naruto was sprawled out like a cat in a patch of sunshine.

Kakashi wasn't usually the kind to work on his mission reports before he returned home from the job but he had the sinking feeling that if he tried to head to his own futon, he wouldn't be doing any sleeping. That left his options pretty slim for the evening. He could stare blankly at this ceiling while horrible memories played over and over in his mind – not something he really wanted to face right then. He could spend some time training, but he didn't want to risk waking up the household. He wasn't in the mood to try and find a secluded spot in the woods to do likewise; he really didn't want to be alone. Even having company that was asleep was better than nothing. That left his last options as either raid the kitchen since he hadn't eaten since that morning or work on his mission report.

Kakashi yanked down his mask and bit into a soft roll, knowing that even if his roommates woke up, they wouldn't be able to see anything as his back was to them. Check one option off the list. He sipped a cup of soup, relishing the quality of the ingredients used – Lord Soto certainly didn't skimp when it came to meals – and returned to his report to proof-read what he already had.

He covered the uneventful travel to the Lord's house, made a brief mention of their hospitable reception without mentioning how chaotic the Lord's family really was, and detailed their encounter with the dam. Although he failed to make a note of how the dam burst, he did put in a few details about how the boys rescued Sakura while he froze the river. He gave only as much information as was needed while still being characteristically vague. He finished up the report with a note about how they informed the lord that the ice would slowly melt away, returning the river to its normal flow without flooding the complex grounds. It was part of the jutsu he had used, ensuring they wouldn't be seeing icebergs drifting by.

Setting down the pen, Kakashi snagged his bread and dipped it in his soup. He re-read the report thrice more before deciding that he was done with it. With a heavy sigh, he rolled up the parchment, performed a quick sealing jutsu, and tucked it into his pack. Then, not sure what else to do, he finished his dinner, secured his mask back in place, and crawled into his bed.

As expected, sleep did not come immediately. He watched the square of moonlight inch across the ceiling, cast there from their open window, attempting to clear his mind. He was never really one for meditation but Kakashi was willing to try almost anything to keep his mind from dwelling on unwanted thoughts.

_Hibei._

He sighed and rolled onto his side, back to the window. Of all the houses on all the missions, he had to end up in a place related to _them_. He knew that it shouldn't get to him, especially since he was a ninja and had to be a master of his emotions, but the very sound of that name made him feel like someone had stabbed him in the gut, and then twisted with agonizing slowness.

And then to mention _Yasu_ of all people…

Kakashi rolled restlessly onto his back once more and cradled his head on his hands. His eye narrowed at the ceiling angrily. There were days he wished Shinji would dare show his face in Konoha again. Kakashi was not beyond fantasizing about inflicting horrible suffering on that man.

The lord's words echoed repeatedly in his mind, regardless of Kakashi's attempts to think of anything else. _"Shinji told me they haven't heard from him since he left-"_ _Left._ Kakashi barely contained a snarl. Yasu hadn't _left. Leaving_ implied he'd had a choice in the matter. _Leaving _implied a willful action. No, Yasu hadn't _left_ in the traditional sense. Yasu had been driven out, and it was Shinji that had done it.

Kakashi screwed his eye shut and refused to think about the past. He had more important things to worry about than people who were probably dead by now. He had an Uchiha to train, and a knucklehead to contain. And a Sakura. Kakashi's lips pressed thin. That girl was too smart for her own good sometimes but incredibly stupid at other times. Didn't she realize that if she put as much energy into her training as she did into fawning over Sasuke, she'd make a pretty damn good kunoichi? Her control was incredible but she often second-guessed herself. It was tiresome.

"Hey."

Kakashi froze, ears picking up the barely audible word in the stillness of the room. He slowly slit his eye open, squinting through the darkness. Sasuke was crouching by Naruto's bed, his hand pressed over the blonde's mouth. The dark haired shinobi leaned over and whispered something in Naruto's ear. To Kakashi's surprise, Naruto nodded quickly and sat up in bed without raising a stink. Both boys cast surreptitious glances around before moving to the window, slipping silently out.

What in the world were _they_ up to? Kakashi rolled out of his futon and crept to the window. Looking out, he saw no sign of them. Annoyed, the jonin debated attempting to follow them to figure out where they were going when he caught the sound of low, murmuring voices from the next room over. Shaking his head, Kakashi moved back to his futon and crawled in; they were just checking up on Sakura. For a team that constantly bickered with each other, Kakashi had a feeling that they really did care about one another. It reminded him a little bit of Team Minato, and that made him smile.

* * *

"What took you so long?" Sakura hissed the moment the boys appeared at her window.

"Kakashi-sensei was up late," Sasuke explained as he dropped silently onto the tatami. He shifted to one side, allowing Naruto to slide into the room.

"He was actually doing paperwork," Naruto said, expanding on Sasuke's statement.

"Huh." Sakura sat cross-legged on her futon, propping her elbow on her knee, her chin in her hand.

"So, you said you wanted to talk to us about something important?" Naruto plopped down onto the floor next to her bedding. Sasuke quietly closed the window to prevent their voices from traveling.

"Yes, but keep your voices down," Sakura warned. "If he knows what we're talking about, this could be really bad for us."

"He? Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Did you find out something about him?"

"Not directly," Sakura murmured. She brought her thumb up to her lips and bit on the end of her nail.

"The pen," Sasuke supplied.

"Yes." Sakura nodded.

Naruto looked between his two teammates, his confusion plain on his face. "What are you two talking about?"

"You can't be that dense, can you?" Sakura asked, astonished. "He broke that pen during lunch. Didn't you see it?"

"_That's _what you had us come here for?" Naruto scratched his cheek, eyebrows quirked. "What does that have to do with finding out more about Kakashi-sensei?"

"You really are an idiot." Sasuke curled his lip slightly before shaking his head at the blonde. "It was when Lord Soto mentioned someone specific. That triggered something."

Naruto nodded, crossing his arms across his chest. "Right, of course!" He glanced at Sakura. "What does it mean?" he whispered.

Sasuke closed his eyes and took in a deep breath through his nose. He let it out but waited for Sakura to enlighten their partner. She was better at dealing with him without causing him to fly into a rage. As much as Sasuke really wanted to put Naruto in his place, they could not risk any unnecessary noise that would bring Kakashi into the room.

"There's something about this Shinji Hibei that upsets Kakashi-sensei," Sakura explained with barely contained patience.

"Ooh." Naruto furrowed his brows. "I've never heard of him."

"Me neither." Sakura looked over at Sasuke; the Uchiha shook his head as well. "But there was a definite negative reaction at the sound of his name."

"So we find out who this guy is and we'll learn more about Kakashi-sensei." Naruto grinned. "Seems easy enough, right?"

"Except it's really none of our business," Sasuke pointed out.

"We wanted to figure out more about him, didn't we?" Naruto countered.

"About his hobbies, maybe," Sasuke argued, eyes narrowing. "A ninja as well-known as Kakashi-sensei probably has many enemies. This Shinji is most likely one of them. Whatever their problem is with each other, we should stay out of it."

The three fell silent for a moment, Naruto glaring openly at Sasuke. Sakura broke the stalemate, though, with a murmured comment. "I wonder who Yasu is."

"Who?" Naruto blinked, turning his gaze to the kunoichi.

"Lord Soto mentioned a man named Yasu right before I interrupted," she clarified.

"So?" Naruto was obviously bemused.

"You probably didn't see it since I was sitting between you two and him, but as soon as Lord Soto mentioned this Yasu, Kakashi-sensei's hand jerked."

"We've already established that there is probably bad blood between the Hibei clan and Kakashi-sensei," Sasuke said tiredly.

"No, this was different." Sakura's lips turned downward. "This wasn't the same type of anger."

"The same type of anger?" Naruto gave Sakura a funny look. "Anger is anger."

"No, it's not," she insisted. "It's… hard to explain. When he snapped the pen, it was like something in him took control of his hand and vented some sort of… rage, I guess. When Lord Soto mentioned Yasu, it was almost like Kakashi-sensei just spasmed."

"This is still none of our business," Sasuke stressed. "And I'm going back to bed before you two idiots come up with some sort of plan that will land us all in trouble."

Sakura deflated at Sasuke's words while Naruto fumed. He did have a point, but Sakura felt that there was something important about what had happened over lunch. Yes, it wasn't really their business but it was the first time in a long while that Kakashi had done something that… reactive. And all it had taken was a simple name-dropping to make him lose his composure.

"Fine, go to bed," Sakura said at length, making a shooing motion with her hands. "Maybe tomorrow on our walk home, we can think of a way to weasel some harmless information out of Kakashi-sensei."

* * *

The moment they had left the compound, Kakashi took to the trees. He ran his team so quickly along the branches that they didn't have time to utter a word, let alone start an interrogation. By the time they dropped to the ground at the end of the first day, they were too exhausted to do anything but eat their dinners and crawl into their sleeping bags. Kakashi did not join any of this genin during their watches, either. He was in an incredible hurry to get back to Konoha and any words spoken were short and to-the-point. Kakashi's sour mood had returned full-force.

The second night out, Sakura pulled Naruto aside during their firewood gathering. "Do you notice anything odd about this?" she questioned him.

"He's really grouchy again," Naruto told her. "And we can't exactly make him cookies out here to fix that."

Sakura ground her teeth for a minute before shaking her head. "Yes, he's grouchy. It's the _same _grouchy he was last week. Don't you find it weird that he's suddenly turned this pissy only after hearing about the Hibei?"

Naruto was making an obvious effort to understand what Sakura was trying to tell him. "You think these Hibei people are the reason he was so upset before? That's a bit far-fetched, isn't it?"

The kunoichi pursed her lips. "I'm just getting a really weird vibe from all this. Maybe it's women's intuition or something."

Naruto shrugged. "Well, the only way to find out would be to figure out who that Yasu guy was."

"Yeah, and Sasuke told us not to." Sakura sighed and bent down to snag another chunk of wood. When she straightened her back, she was surprised to see the mischievous look on Naruto's face. "What?"

"Just because Sasuke told us not to look into it doesn't mean we have to listen to him." Naruto lowered his voice further, leaning in toward her slightly. "I bet we could ask that guy in the green leggings about it. Sasuke doesn't have to know."

Sakura chewed on her bottom lip. She didn't like the thought of leaving Sasuke out of something but her curiosity was getting the better of her judgment. She shot a look around, suspicious that they were being watched. They were alone, though. "When we get back to the village," she uttered quickly. "We'll need to find a way to contact him."

"Leave that to me." Naruto jabbed himself in the chest with his thumb, nearly dropping his pile of wood in the process. "I'll talk to Iruka-sensei and see if he knows how to find him."

"Great. Now, let's get back to camp before they come looking for us." Sakura hurried past the blonde, a trill of excitement settling in the pit of her belly. If her instincts were right, perhaps they could do something to help their sensei with this Hibei... thing. Whatever it was.

* * *

Although his report was finished, Kakashi waited a day before making his way to the tower to turn it in. They had arrived back in Konoha in the early afternoon and he had wanted nothing more than a hot shower and a visit with Obito. There were things he needed to tell the long-dead boy and it was part of the reason Kakashi pushed his team so hard to get home. He had spent the better portion of that evening sitting beside the stone, silently communicating the events of the past couple days. It had helped him to sleep a little better that night and put him in at least a passable mood that next morning.

Giving his team the day off to rest or do whatever it was they did on their days off, Kakashi took his time making breakfast and double-checking that his mission report was completed with the bare minimum amount of work. It looked good to him – to the point, no flowery words, no spelling errors. All he had to do was turn it in and then he could wash his hands of the mission.

It was nearly noon by the time Kakashi found himself standing near the mission desks. It looked like a slow day, only a few shinobi were there, exchanging reports for new missions. Knowing he wouldn't be there long, Kakashi glanced around for an open official to hand his scroll. Off to one side, talking to a light-toned brunette, was Iruka. By the way they were chatting, it didn't look as though the other ninja was turning in anything.

Kakashi moved toward the chunin instructor, pulling out the mission report as he walked. He cleared his throat slightly when he arrived in front of Iruka, calling the tan man's attention away from the chatty visitor.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Iruka-sensei, but I need to turn this in if I could." Kakashi held out the scroll.

"Sure thing. How did they do?" Iruka opened the scroll, scanning the brief write-up. His face fell slightly. "Well… at least they completed it, I suppose."

Kakashi smiled, his eye arching. "They're a handful but they do alright-"

"I know that voice." The other man, who hadn't bothered to move away while Kakashi turned in his scroll, looked fully at the Copy-Nin, eyes narrowed.

"I know _that _voice," Kakashi replied, eyebrow raising. The two men regarded each other for a very long moment before Kakashi snapped his fingers. "Tori!"

The man grinned and spread his arms wide, bowing a fraction. "It's good to see you, Inu."

"Uhm." Iruka glanced between the two, confusion obvious on his face. "Hiro, I wasn't aware you knew Kakashi-sensei."

"I didn't know you knew Tori," Kakashi replied, although he hadn't been the one addressed.

"I've left the ANBU, actually," Hiro informed the other jonin, crossing his arms. "I go by my birth name now."

"Good choice." Kakashi nodded appreciatively.

Iruka coughed a little into his hand, drawing their attentions. "I don't mean to interrupt, but…" he made a vague gesture between them with a hand.

"Oh, Inu – Kakashi, I suppose now – and I served as squad mates on a few missions back in the day," Hiro explained.

"You make us sound old putting it like that," Kakashi quipped, affecting a pout and shoving his hands into his pockets. "It was only ten years ago."

"Ten years ago _is _old for us," Hiro said with a roll of his eyes. "Anyway, I never did understand at the time why you left us."

Kakashi shrugged. "Had better things to do," he said evasively. Kakashi had found the comment a little odd coming from Tori. He'd been there when it all went down; he knew damn well what had happened and why Kakashi left. Hiro was probably one of the few ninja still alive that knew. Kakashi watched him guardedly for a minute. "Speaking of which, I should be going now."

Hiro slapped Kakashi on the arm. "Don't disappear for another ten years, okay? Look me up sometime, we'll catch up over coffee."

"I don't like coffee." Kakashi lifted his hand, index and middle finger pointed toward the sky. He vanished in a swirl of smoke.

* * *

"I'm not mad," Iruka repeated to himself for the umpteenth time that afternoon. He stood alone in his kitchen, filling a large glass jug with water from his sink. "I'm not. It was an innocent conversation."

Pulling the jar out of his sink, Iruka set it on the counter top and then started to rummage through a cupboard for the tea he knew was there. With a satisfied "ah-ha!" he pulled out a box of pre-wrapped tea bags. Quickly, he added five of them to the jar and capped it. About to pick it up, he felt a shift in the chakra outside his door. As expected, Naruto burst into the room without knocking.

"Iruka-sensei!" The blonde genin raced over to the kitchen, pausing to look at the jar. "What's that?"

"I'm making sun-tea," Iruka explained patiently. "Get the door for me, will you?"

"Oh, okay." Naruto moved to the front door and opened it. Iruka, arms full of his glass jug, moved onto the pathway right outside his apartment. He set the jug down under his front window then took a moment to admire the sunshine; it was the perfect day to make some sun-tea.

"Now, what can I do for you today?" Iruka turned and leaned against the railing behind him, unperturbed by the multiple-story drop at his back.

"I had a question for you," Naruto explained, hopping up to sit on the top of the railing. "I need to find that Guy-sensei… guy. The one with the green jumpsuit."

"Why?" Iruka raises his eyebrows. "Another question about Kakashi-sensei?"

"Yeah, sort of. Well, not really about him but about someone he might know." Naruto kicked his legs a little. "Unless…" The boy glanced up at Iruka hopefully. "Unless you know about someone named Yasu Hibei?"

"Can't say that I do," Iruka replied with a shrug. "Hibei is familiar, though. I think I've seen it on a mission report before. Is he a ninja?"

"I don't know," Naruto said honestly. "That's why we're trying to figure out who he is. I think that Guy-sensei might know but we don't know how to find him."

"Well, that one is easy enough. He has his own team right now. So long as they're in the village, they'll be spending all day at one of the training fields. Just do a circuit of them and I'm sure you'll find him. He's kind of hard to miss." Iruka grinned and Naruto returned the expression. "Your hardest part will be getting him to tell you anything," he added, causing the genin to deflate.

"Is he as secretive as Kakashi-sensei?"

"No, but Guy-sensei values friendship and any secrets about Kakashi-sensei he may know, I doubt he'll give them up without good cause."

"But we have a good cause!" Naruto exclaimed, throwing his hands up. He wobbled on the railing for a moment and Iruka snagged the genin's jacket, pulling him onto the walkway.

"Don't do that; you'll give me a heart attack," Iruka admonished.

Naruto ignored the comment and started pacing along the walkway, hands clasped behind his back. "I'm not sure what else we can do to find out who this guy is if Guy-sensei can't tell us."

"Have you thought of asking Kakashi-sensei?" Iruka leaned back against the railing again, crossing his arms.

"He won't even tell us his favorite color," Naruto replied sullenly.

Iruka nodded his understanding. From what he had seen of Kakashi, that about fit the bill. "Well, like I said, Guy-sensei's team is pretty adamant about a regular training schedule. I'm sure you'll find them without any problems."

"Yeah, I guess so." Naruto leapt onto the railing. "Thanks, Iruka-sensei!" Without waiting to hear Iruka's reply, the orange-clad nin zipped off over the nearby rooftops, leaving the Academy instructor standing alone on the walkway.

"I wonder what it would be like to have a normal life," he murmured with a shake of his head before disappearing back into his tiny apartment.


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: **Howdy.

**Warnings: **Nada. Well… strong language but nothing else.

**Notes: **Things are starting to happen? Holy shit. Also, I'm taking some more liberties this chapter with regards to Iruka's ninja abilities, bingo/data books, and Academy holidays. Since this story is a sort of melding of the anime and manga, I'll be taking some things from both and then expanding on them/adding to them. Hopefully this doesn't bring up any hard feelings. I'm almost constantly referencing my manga as I go and re-watching episodes but there are things that just need… tweaking… to fit into what I'm doing here.

**Additional: **Thanks, everyone, for your continued support! I had a difficult time writing this chapter. I'm not sure if I've captured "Kakashi" quite right. He's a tricky one for me to write, so naturally I just had to write a fic with him as the protagonist. *headdesk* Daft Littie is daft.

* * *

**Chapter Six: In Which ****Hiro Drops a Bomb** and **Kakashi Drops Some Eaves**  


Iruka checked on his tea jar a couple hours later, his mind distracted by the events of the day. He realized a while ago that it wasn't anger that he was feeling toward Hiro. It was jealousy, and it was directed at Kakashi. The two jonin obviously had some sort of connection from years ago and it had bothered Iruka to see them so chummy. It wasn't his fault that he'd only been twelve when Hiro and Kakashi had been in ANBU together.

He recognized that it was stupid to feel any sort of resentment toward the Copy-Nin. It wasn't as if Kakashi was going to swoop in and steal Hiro away. Iruka shook his head as he moved his sun-tea jar into a brighter patch of light, determining that it still needed longer to steep. As far as Iruka was concerned, Kakashi was sexless, and this wasn't the Academy where love-triangles and relationship scandals were common place. Iruka figured he probably spent way too much time around pre-teens to even think the possibility of losing Hiro to someone like Kakashi was remotely realistic.

Still, Iruka couldn't shake the feeling that Kakashi had something in common with Hiro that Iruka didn't. He wondered briefly if this was how Ino must have felt whenever Sakura and Sasuke were together and that made the teacher smirk. Likening his situation to those three was ridiculous and helped to point out just how silly Iruka was acting about seeing Hiro interact with another man. They were ex-teammates. That didn't mean they were ex-lovers, and although Hiro and Iruka had agreed on a monogamous relationship, that didn't mean either man wasn't allowed to have male friends.

With a sigh, he placed his forearms against the railing and leaned forward, gazing out over Konoha. The top apartments were always the most sought after for the view (and the easy roof access) and Iruka counted himself lucky that he had managed to be assigned one. He wondered if it was because he was essentially a non-mission shinobi and the housing department knew he would be around to actually occupy the room.

Iruka moved one arm to prop his chin in his hand, elbow balanced on the railing. He wondered if it ever bothered Hiro that he was more or less just a paper-pusher. Hiro had reassured Iruka many times that teaching at the Academy and working at the tower was just as honorable a position in their society as being a field ninja. Iruka was preparing the next generation of shinobi, ensuring that the legacy of Konoha continued with each new graduating class. Life expectancy for a ninja was low, after all, and they needed new blood to fill the ranks.

"Ten years for us is a long time," the young man whispered, thinking on the words Hiro had used back at the tower. Many shinobi didn't live to see thirty. It was a sobering thought to the instructor that, if he started taking up missions again, he maybe had eight years left before he could expect to be killed in action. It made him glad to be so involved in the Academy to the point where he was almost indispensible. Compared to Hiro, Iruka's life was fairly safe.

He felt a twinge of guilt and pushed away from the railing, heading back into his apartment. Regardless of what Hiro told him, Iruka still thought of himself as beneath the standard shinobi. He didn't take missions anymore, not even during breaks from the Academy. He devoted himself to the tower, sending other ninja out to do what he should also have been doing. There were times he felt like nothing more than a coward, hiding behind an elaborate secretary job. And yet, whenever he had free time away from the school, he always found something else to fill it with. The missions needed sorting, reports needed filing; really, the tower would fall apart if he wasn't there to keep things running smoothly.

Iruka sat down at his dining table with a stack of homework assignments that needed to be graded. He would be glad when the break hit and he'd get a reprieve from scoring papers. He knew that if he didn't assign the work, he wouldn't have to grade it, but it was important for the students to understand the theories and laws behind their ninja ways.

The man glanced up at a calendar tacked to refrigerator with a kunai-shaped magnet. There was about two weeks before the chunin exams were scheduled to start. This Friday signaled the end of the term and the start of the Academy's summer holidays. For the approximately two months it would take to complete the chunin selection examinations, Iruka would have to find things to keep himself busy. Considering there was going to be an influx of foreign ninja, Iruka was sure there would be plenty going on that needed organizing. He just hoped he could wriggle out of having to proctor for another six months.

Although Iruka was only a chunin, he'd been invited to help proctor the initial segment of the exams for the past three years. He knew they usually needed between fifteen and thirty sets of chunin eyes to keep watch over the genin hopefuls but it wasn't something Iruka was particularly keen on doing. He really did not want anything to do with the chunin exams, period. He didn't even attend the final fights. He had helped to train many of the candidates; he did not like to see them hurt. Mizuki had often told Iruka that he was too soft to be a ninja. Considering that Mizuki had turned his back to the village and attempted to kill one of Iruka's closest students, Iruka didn't put much stock in anything Mizuki used to say.

After a couple minutes of mindless grading, Iruka sighed and sat back in his chair. He cast a look out of his window at the sunny late-afternoon then at the shopping list he had sitting on his kitchen counter. Making a quick decision, Iruka stood and grabbed up his satchel from where it sat next to the door. He loaded his papers into it then snagged his shopping list. It was too nice to stay indoors for long. He'd do some errands and then find a nice, sunny spot and grade outside today. It was only about four in the afternoon; there was plenty of sunlight left.

* * *

Kakashi forced himself not to double-take as he walked back toward his apartment, grocery bags hanging from one hand. Was it just him, or was he seeing Iruka _everywhere_ today?

He had come home to a refrigerator full of food that looked like it was about to declare itself an independent state. He really needed to remember to clean it out before leaving on an extended mission. At least he hadn't been gone for more than a week and most of his hard vegetables survived. He was also out of shampoo and dog biscuits. The herb-plants he grew in his kitchen window looked like they needed a pick-me-up and he was out of plant-food, too. It meant that Kakashi needed to take a trip into the market and it had been a very odd evening of shopping.

Iruka had been at the grocer's. He'd been walking by the pet store. He was across the street at the book store when Kakashi had come out of the nursery. And now, as Kakashi moved by a fairly popular park near the river, there he was, sitting at a picnic table with a pile of paperwork. Was Iruka normally out and about so much and Kakashi just hadn't noticed him before? Kakashi tried to think back but he couldn't come up with a distinct answer, although he was certain he was seeing Iruka around a lot more since their meeting at the memorial stone.

Kakashi hesitated for a moment before letting his feet wander off the road and onto the grass. After seeing Tori – _Hiro_ he mentally corrected himself, though he found it difficult to call him anything but 'Tori' – that morning, Kakashi had wanted to ask Iruka how in the world he was acquainted with an S-rank ex-ANBU operative. By the way they were conversing, it looked like they were friends. It didn't occur to Kakashi that it probably wasn't his business as he wasn't exactly friends with Iruka, but his natural curiosity got the better of him.

Kakashi was about a yard away, approaching silently from the back when the chunin lifted a hand and waved it slightly.

"Hello, Kakashi-sensei," he greeted, eyes never leaving the page he was reading.

Kakashi stopped short, blinking. Then, bemused at being detected even though he had been trying to walk up unannounced, Kakashi moved forward into Iruka's line of sight. "Yo."

"Have you been following me?" Iruka asked, causing Kakashi to mentally start. Then the younger ninja smiled and Kakashi realized he had been joking. "I've been seeing you everywhere today," Iruka continued as if he needed to explain his comment.

"I was out of dog treats," Kakashi replied, immediately feeling a bit silly for having said that. It was the first thing that popped into his mind, though, and he had blurted it out before he had really thought it through. He blamed it on being unnerved by Iruka's uncanny ability to know he was there. A silence followed his comment where both men merely looked expectantly at each other. Finally, Iruka cleared his throat slightly and fiddled with his pen.

"Can I help you with something, Kakashi-sensei?" The chunin set the page aside. He motioned invitingly to the bench across from him.

Kakashi mentally shook himself. It was odd hearing his thoughts coming out of Iruka's mouth. The entire order of operations Kakashi had set up in his mind for leading the conversation were thrown out the window as he tried to figure out how to regain his composure and take control of the situation. He was supposed to initiate the chat, not Iruka.

"Fate told me I had to talk to you since you've been everywhere I have today," Kakashi started mildly.

Iruka smirked. "Fate? Can't say that I believe in fate."

"Eh." Kakashi shrugged noncommittally and glanced down at the pile of papers near Iruka's elbow. "You look busy. I'll go." Kakashi thought that maybe he should just try again later. He was already feeling strangely awkward standing there. He realized belatedly that walking over there had been a mistake.

Iruka glanced down at the work and shrugged. "This really won't take me long. What's on your mind, Kakashi-sensei?" The teacher motioned toward the empty bench once more.

_A lot of things_, Kakashi thought darkly but his face didn't convey those emotions. Still feeling out-of-sorts, he slipped onto the seat, setting his purchases off to one side under the table. He did really want to ask about Iruka's connections to Tori but somehow, he had lost the gumption to do it now that he was sitting across from the man. Maybe if he found something else to lead up to such a personal question, Kakashi could get himself back on track. "How did you know I was there?" he asked instead. "You knew I was at the memorial, too."

Iruka blinked a couple times, his face unreadable. "Does it surprise you that I can?"

Kakashi regarded Iruka with a half-closed eye. It was a fair question and Kakashi considered how to answer it without offending the lower-ranking ninja. Iruka saved him the trouble of coming up with an answer.

"I know I'm just a school teacher but I _am _a shinobi, too." His tone was dry as he leaned forward slightly on his forearms, crossing them on top of the table. Kakashi wondered if Iruka was often underestimated because of his chosen role in the village.

"My chakra was masked, you're upwind, and the sun was facing me," Kakashi noted, returning the instructor's mild expression with one of his own. "Unless that was just a lucky guess, it's pretty interesting that a chunin would be capable of detecting me."

The corner of Iruka's eye twitched and Kakashi almost regretted bringing up rank. Then, the younger man smirked and shook his head. He snagged another piece of paper and started grading again.

"What jutsu is it?" Kakashi pressed, not liking the feeling that Iruka was ignoring him.

"Why does it matter?" Iruka evaded, setting the sheet on top of a smaller pile of completed assignments. Without looking up at Kakashi, he started on the next one.

"I'm a collector of sorts. It sounds like a handy skill." Kakashi shrugged as if it didn't really matter. In reality, he was rather intrigued. To the outside world, Kakashi always came off as aloof or bored when, in all actuality, he was a very inquisitive person. It was unsettling that a simple chunin Academy instructor could detect his movements as easily as Iruka seemed to and Kakashi was damned if he wasn't going to weasel the secret out of the other man. "I think I'd like to learn it."

"Good luck with that," Iruka murmured, flicking his eyes up at Kakashi briefly before returning his attention to his work. His undone stack was rapidly shrinking.

Kakashi's eye narrowed at the younger shinobi. If anything, the man's refusal to tell made the jonin want to know even more. "Well then…" Kakashi's hand darted forward quickly, snatching the pile of unmarked homework from the table.

"Hey!" Iruka made a grab for the pile but Kakashi leaned back on the bench, holding it out of reach. "I need to grade those," the younger man told Kakashi sternly.

"I'm aware," Kakashi replied. He swung his legs over the bench and stood, shuffling through the assignments as if interested in what they said.

"Those are in a specific order!" Iruka stood from his seat and came around the side of the picnic table. He reached out to take the sheaf of papers again but Kakashi swiveled in place, effectively blocking Iruka's hand with his empty one.

The older nin took a couple steps back, casually sizing up Iruka; he was maybe an inch shorter. It was difficult to tell build under the loose uniform but Kakashi would put money on Iruka weighing about the same as he did. Their reach would be nearly equal, their legs about the same length. Kakashi would not be able to simply hold the papers over his head to prevent Iruka from getting them; he would have to actually move.

And move he did.

As Iruka lunged forward, Kakashi side-stepped, twisting to avoid the reaching fingers. He buffeted the back of Iruka's head with the papers then slid back out of reach again.

"Seriously?" Iruka asked, giving Kakashi an annoyed look. Kakashi's eye turned up in a smile and he waved the pages at Iruka. With a growl, the younger ninja moved again, attempting to keep up as Kakashi bobbed and ducked, wove and twisted. Despite Iruka's best efforts, Kakashi managed to stay at least half a step ahead.

"Will you _please _give those back?" Iruka ground out. His fingers brushed Kakashi's shoulder as he missed again. "People are starting to stare. You're acting like a twelve-year-old."

"I thought you were used to dealing with children," Kakashi teased, spinning backwards on his heel to avoid another grab.

"Most children don't look like grown men," Iruka replied. His fingers ran along Kakashi's wrist, causing the older nin to jerk slightly and hop back. The teacher had almost touched the papers that time. "Oh, come on!" Iruka charged.

Kakashi slid to the side, holding the papers behind his back with one hand. His other planted firmly against Iruka's chest, stopping the other ninja's forward progress. He smirked and flicked his visible eye to one side, drawing Iruka's attention behind Kakashi. They were on the edge of the river and Kakashi was holding the papers over the rushing water.

"You wouldn't," Iruka gasped. One of his hands grasped Kakashi's wrist to pull it away but he couldn't budge it. Kakashi had adhered it there with a tiny bit of chakra. The chunin's dark eyes roved over Kakashi's face, trying to determine whether or not that jonin was serious. Finally, Iruka bowed his head in defeat.

"I have sonar," he grumbled, voice barely audible.

"What?" Kakashi relaxed, frowning. He brought the papers around to his front and released his hand from Iruka's chest.

"I have sonar," Iruka repeated grudgingly, snatching the pile of papers from Kakashi. He spun and trudged back toward his picnic table, muttering something under his breath as he started reorganizing the sheaf. Bemused, Kakashi followed him.

"What do you mean you have 'sonar'"? Kakashi slipped back onto the bench as if their entire keep-away secession had not just happened. He racked his brain, trying to recall if he'd ever heard of anyone having that ability.

Iruka glared at Kakashi over the top of the table. He took a deep breath, blowing it out angrily. Then, lips still pressed thin, he grabbed his forehead protector and jammed it down over his eyes. Kakashi opened his mouth to say something but Iruka cut him off. "Hold up some fingers."

Unsure, Kakashi held up a hand.

"Two," Iruka said immediately.

Kakashi glanced at the two fingers he'd held up. He switched them.

"Four. Six. One, and that's rude." Iruka lifted the forehead protector and sent a level look at the middle finger Kakashi was holding up.

"What is it that you're doing?" Kakashi questioned, dropping his hands to the tabletop. He couldn't hide the curiosity from his voice so he didn't bother.

"Even with my eyes closed, I can receive an image of my surroundings by emitting any sounds or by merely breathing. Anything that changes the air currents, really." Iruka started grading again, sighing heavily as if to illustrate the point. "You would have to stand completely still behind me and hold your breath in order for me to not know you're there."

Kakashi's eyebrow rose. "That sounds like a…"

"Kekkei genkai," Iruka finished for him. "It is."

The Copy-Nin fell silent, staring at Iruka. "I wasn't aware the Umino family had such a thing," he said softly.

Iruka hummed slightly. "That doesn't surprise me since I'm the only one in this village, and I don't exactly advertise it."

Kakashi had to admit that he had a point. He never would have guessed that Iruka harbored an innate birth-given ability. "Why are you still a chunin?" The question left Kakashi's lips before he had a chance to clamp his mouth shut. Something about Iruka made Kakashi feel more liberal with what he said. He would need to work on curbing that if he was going to keep up his disinterested image.

Iruka's pen paused on the paper and he slowly looked up at Kakashi. The older man could see the tension in Iruka's shoulders. "A blood trait does not make a good ninja," he finally mumbled before quickly returning his eyes to the paper. Then, before Kakashi had a chance to reply, Iruka grabbed a bag from the bench beside him. He swept everything into it, stood, and bowed his head. "Good evening, Kakashi-sensei." Much to Kakashi's surprise, Iruka disappeared in a poof of smoke.

The jonin sat at the bench for a while after Iruka departed, trying to sort out his thoughts from the odd encounter. So Iruka had a kekkei genkai, one that the younger shinobi didn't seem to think very highly of. He also seemed under the impression that he wasn't that great of a ninja. Kakashi didn't know whether or not that was true; Iruka was a school teacher. His daily duties didn't exactly involve close combat.

He had been fast enough to almost keep up with Kakashi, though, and that counted for something. Kakashi was incredibly agile, after all. The instructor also had an auditory ability that essentially meant he could not be blinded. Kakashi realized, his eye widening slightly, that if Iruka had been on the bridge with them, the mist would not have been a hindrance: he would have known exactly where Zabuza was the entire time. How could an ability like that _not _be utilized on missions? Why in the world was Iruka sticking himself behind a desk?

Shaking his head, Kakashi gathered his bags and left the park. It wasn't until he was about halfway home that he realized he'd forgotten to ask about Tori.

* * *

"I can't find him anywhere." Naruto dropped down from the rooftop to land next to Sakura. The kunoichi jumped, dropping the ice-pop she had been enjoying. She sent a particularly sour glare at the boy before his words sunk in.

"He must be away on a mission," she mused, staring at her discarded treat with longing. It had been the last one in her mother's freezer.

"So, now what?" Naruto asked. "If we can't find Guy-sensei, how do we figure out who this Yasu guy is?"

"I suppose we could try to look him up. He might be in one of the bingo books. Lord Soto did mention that he was involved in some sort of ANBU thing, right?"

Naruto fidgeted. "I… I wasn't really listening," he mumbled. "I was eating."

Sakura rolled her eyes. "You're hopeless, Naruto," she scolded. "Anyway, he _did _mention ANBU. If ANBU was sent after Yasu, then he would probably be in a bingo book of some sort. We can look up old books at the Academy."

"Old books?" The blonde boy's brow furrowed in thought.

"Yes." Sakura sent him an exasperated look. "If you'd been listening instead of stuffing yourself, you would have heard Lord Soto say that whatever happened with the ANBU and Yasu happened ten years ago."

Naruto grinned suddenly, interlacing his fingers behind his head. "So we find a book from ten years ago and we find Yasu!"

"Exactly." Sakura returned his smile with a mischievous one of her own. "Come on, the Academy library is still open for another couple hours. If we hurry, we might find something before it's locked up." With a bit of a grunt, Sakura jumped up onto her roof and, orienting herself, took off toward the Academy with Naruto hot on her heels.

The library was quiet when they arrived and Sakura threatened Naruto with bodily harm if he talked in so much as a loud whisper. She reasoned with him that, even if they were the only ones _in_ the library, they didn't want to chance anyone overhearing what they were doing.

Sakura showed Naruto how to use the card catalogue, jotting down the call numbers on a scrap of paper. Holding her note in hand, she led the way down rows of scrolls and books, muttering numbers to herself as they went. She continually had to nudge Naruto into motion as he got distracted by various publications.

"Hey, Sakura!" he hissed urgently, pointing at a shelf about halfway down the aisle they were currently walking through.

"Did you find it?" Sakura hurried over to check.

"No, but look at this!" Naruto snagged an orange covered book from the shelf and flashed it at Sakura. "It's that book Kakashi-sensei is always reading."

Sakura curled her lip. "Put it back, Naruto. We're running out of time and you're too young to read that. What is that even _doing_ at the Academy?"

Naruto pouted, shoving the novel back on the shelf. "You're no fun," he grumped but followed her obediently when she stalked off.

They walked over another couple aisles before Sakura called a halt to their progress. She pointed at the rows of identical, dark-covered books. "Here they are," she murmured.

"They all look the same," Naruto started to whine. Sakura glared him into silence.

"Look here." She snatched a random book off the shelf and showed it to Naruto. "These are data books, used for profiling important ninja." She pointed to the title on the book then opened it and showed Naruto the inside cover. "The Academy only has outdated ones that are no longer relevant to the ANBU – for educational purposes." She re-shelved the book and grabbed another with a blue cover. "They also have standard shinobi data books," she continued, showing Naruto the difference. "These aren't for Speacial Ops so much as for general information, in case you need to know what you're going to be up against on a mission."

"Why would any Leaf ninja be in these books then if they're so we can know about the enemy?" Naruto took the blue book from her and flipped through it, staring at the unfamiliar faces in the photographs.

"Some of the Leaf ninja are traitors that need to be hunted down. Didn't you listen to Iruka-sensei when he taught this?" Sakura showed him where to check the book for the date. "Considering this Yasu guy left the village, he might be in one."

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that." He pursed his lips for a minute. "Hey, is this why they took our pictures after graduation?"

"Those weren't for _these _books, but it's the same idea. Those pictures were for the Hokage's data books, so he can pick the proper missions for the right ninja." Sakura put the blue book back and then pointed to the far end of the row. "You start on that side," she instructed. "I'll work from this one." She indicated the opposite end of the aisle. "They're in order by year, and then by type of book in each year. Alphabetical by family name in each book so look for 'Hibei.'"

Naruto nodded, taking hold of the first book in his assigned row. Sakura watched him for a minute before getting started on her section. Naruto really wasn't as bad as she used to think. Sometimes, like when he was willing to do things like this, he was downright likeable. She felt a twinge of regret for how badly she'd treated him during their Academy days. She wasn't sure if she'd consider them "friends" but she was getting more comfortable with him as a teammate.

About five minutes into their hunt, Naruto come over excitedly, a black book in his hands. "Look, Sakura!"

She took the book and gazed down at the page he had been open on. Her eyes flicked over the name and she hummed in the back of her throat. "So this is Shinji?" She examined the picture with a critical eye before checking the cover. It looked like a standard data book from Suna based on the sand-shinobi symbol embossed on the cover. She vaguely remembered Iruka mentioning that they had a few books from other nations scatted throughout the library.

Sakura returned to the page with Shinji's information on it. She felt a blush creep up onto her face at the intense-looking man in the picture; he was incredibly handsome. Tearing her eyes away from the angular face, she scanned the text. She flipped a page and frowned. "No Yasu," she said with obvious disappointment.

"We'll keep looking," Naruto encouraged, taking back the book. He hurriedly shoved it back on the shelf and snagged the next one.

They worked in near-silence, flipping through book after book. Occasionally, either Sakura or Naruto would find Shinji again but, as they finally met in the middle of the aisle, they had come up with absolutely nothing.

"Maybe he wasn't that great of a ninja," Naruto mused as he slid his last book back into place.

"Or he's in an even older book." Sakura eyed the shelf behind them, not really looking forward to having to go through it. She sighed deeply. "Or he's not even a ninja and we've wasted our evening."

"Ah, man." Naruto ran his hands through his hair. "What do we do now?"

"I'm going to go home and take a shower. We have training tomorrow with Kakashi-sensei," Sakura said, dusting her hands off on the front of her shirt. She headed out of the library, Naruto keeping step beside her. Once out in the sunshine, she smiled at him and waved before taking off in the direction of her home. They would have to re-evaluate their plans after training the next day.

* * *

"What?" Kakashi stared blankly down at the chunin behind the mission desk. The man – Kakashi didn't know his name off the top of his head but thought it was something like Tsuki or Tsumo or … something with a _Ts_ sound – squirmed uncomfortably under the gaze of the Copy-Nin.

"I said that we can't issue your team another mission until your mission report has been turned in," the man repeated, looking very much like he wanted to be anywhere but sitting there at that moment.

"I turned it in yesterday." Kakashi blinked once, arms folding across his chest.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei, but our records don't show it as having been turned in." The chunin swallowed a couple times. He looked about ready to bolt. "And if it doesn't get turned in, we'll have to withhold the payment."

Kakashi's eye wandered around the room briefly, searching out a certain dark-haired ninja. Iruka was not at the mission desks that morning, though. He must be at class.

"As it is," the man continued, "unless we can have confirmation of a mistake on our part, the payment will be less due to late submission."

The wandering gray eye shifted immediately to stare at the chunin, narrowing menacingly. After what his team went through with that river, Kakashi was not going to accept a dock in pay. "And if I can prove it was your mistake?"

"It wasn't _my _mistake," the man replied firmly, although his knuckles were white from clenching his hands. Kakashi suspected it was to keep them from shaking. He had that effect on people. "But if you can prove that the problem is on our side of the mission desks, then the payment will be given in full to your team. This must be resolved no later than five this evening when the desks close or you forfeit payment."

Kakashi heard the dismissal in Ts-something's voice and grunted slightly. He moved away from the desk, thinking over his next move. Team Seven was waiting patiently for him at the bridge, as per usual. He was going to surprise them with another mission as they were only expecting a day of drills. Now, with a missing mission report hovering over his head, Kakashi had to rethink his plans for the day. He could show up, run them through some drills, then go check in on Iruka later to see if the man had stuck the report somewhere, risking the five o'clock deadline. Or he could go resolve this _now_, pick up a mission, and still meet his team, albeit incredibly late.

Entirely irritated, Kakashi left the room. He would have to wait until Iruka didn't have a class in session to question him about the whereabouts of the mission scroll. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Kakashi made his way down to the ground floor and into the Academy-proper. He paused at a plaque on the wall, checking to see which room was Iruka's. It was a ground-floor room at least so Kakashi did not have very far to go.

He let his feet take him along the corridor, not in any particular hurry since he figured Iruka would have students. When he reached the door, though, he was surprised by how quiet the room was. Maybe they were taking a test? It was getting near July and classes would be temporarily suspended until after the chunin exams. Slowly, he slid the door to the classroom open an inch and peeked inside. It was empty.

"Huh." Kakashi opened the door fully and stepped into the classroom, glancing around. He peeked out at the door number on the wall just to make sure he was in the right place; it matched the plaque number. A brief survey of the room showed a door in the back corner. If Kakashi remembered his Academy days properly, that was most likely an office.

He moved toward the door, hand outstretched to knock, when a voice erupted from the other side.

"_What?_"

Kakashi paused, frowning. Was that directed at him? Iruka had some sort of sonar ability but could it see through doors? It was auditory, not visual, wasn't it? He opened his mouth, prepared to call a greeting through the door, when a second voice interrupted him from inside the office. Was that… _Tori_?

* * *

"Listen, I know this is a bit sudden, but I figured you'd need to know." Hiro stood near the door, his hands in his pockets. He was looking out the window, his face hidden by a cascade of light brown hair. Iruka sat at his desk, mouth moving but no sound coming out. After a few attempts, he found his voice.

"I… What?" he repeated dumbly.

Hiro turned his head slightly, flipping his hair out of his face with the movement. He didn't say anything, though, and merely watched Iruka as the younger man paled considerably.

"A… a wife?" Iruka finally managed, his head reeling. "I… when did… how long…" He grasped for words, dumbfounded by the news Hiro had brought him.

Iruka had been spending a quiet morning working on his remaining paper-load. One of the other teachers had taken both of their classes on a field trip and had enough chaperones without needing Iruka's assistance, so the chunin had stayed behind. He was having a pretty good day; his grading was almost done, he didn't have any responsibilities to take care of at the tower, and he had gotten paid. He had intended to skip out early, maybe hunt down Naruto and take him to Ichiraku so they could catch up. Then Hiro had shown up and announced, as if it was the most normal thing in the world, that his _bride_ would be arriving in Konoha in the next couple days.

Hiro sighed. "It really isn't that unexpected," he said dully. "My parents need me to continue the family line."

"You have a brother," Iruka pointed out, his voice a little higher than usual. "Let him carry on the name."

"It doesn't work like that. I'm first born." Hiro ran his hands through his hair, brushing the strands from his face. "Besides, this was decided when I was just a kid. I can't back out of it now."

Iruka stared at the other man for a very long moment. "What?" he uttered quietly.

"It was prearranged when I was eight," Hiro reiterated, curling his lips. "Our parents agreed that I'd marry her when she turned eighteen."

"You…" Iruka swallowed as bile attempted to creep up his throat. "You _knew _this was going to happen?"

"I was going to tell you-" Hiro started.

Iruka stood up suddenly, the motion sending his chair clattering to the floor. "You _knew_ there was going to be an expiration date to… to _this_?" His voice rose dangerously as he gestured between them. "And you just decided that I didn't need to know? For a full _year_?"

"It's not like that," Hiro snapped, a defensive tone to his voice. His brows twitched together as Iruka glared at him. "And there's no expiration date. This won't change anything. I just wanted you to know why I'd be gone more often."

Iruka stared hard across the space at the smaller man. "I'm sorry, what?"

"This is just for your information," Hiro repeated. "I never had any intention of _leaving _you for this woman."

"But… she'll be your wife!" the chunin exclaimed.

"And?"

Iruka fell silent, regarding Hiro with half-closed eyes while he attempting to sort out what was happening. He felt incredibly cold and his stomach kept threatening to empty itself all over his desk. "I cannot," he said slowly, his hands starting to tremble, "I _will not _be party to adultery."

It was Hiro's turn to look baffled. "It's just a marriage of convenience so both families will be happy," he reasoned.

"It is still a marriage," Iruka returned, voice threatening to crack. His mouth was incredibly dry and he wished he had something to drink, if only to occupy himself. "I'm not going to help you cheat on your wife." He spat the last word out for emphasis.

Hiro's eyes narrowed. "What would you have me do? Annul the arrangement?"

"Why not?" Iruka threw his hands up then crossed his arms. He could feel himself shaking and tried to still his body. "Tell them you've changed your mind, you don't want to do it. Tell them you're happy how you are. Tell them… tell them…" Iruka dropped his voice and looked away, doing his damnedest to keep the tremor out of his tone. "Tell them about us."

"I can't do that," Hiro said bluntly with a shake of his head.

"Can't, or _won't_?" Iruka turned his dark eyes back to the jonin. Something in him snapped suddenly and his tone carried more venomous conviction than it had seconds ago. "You wouldn't be able to tell your parents 'no' if your life depended on it."

"That's not true-"

"Isn't it?" Iruka interrupted. "Never _once_ have you ever stayed over. Never _once_ have you canceled plans with your family to make time for us. Your father controls your life and you just happily go along with it."

Hiro looked affronted, his eyes widening. "Don't be an idiot," the older man snipped. "You know very well I have to keep up appearances. Do you _want _me to lose my inheritance?"

"If it meant staying with me, then I wouldn't care." Iruka's gripped his forearms, turning his eyes to glower out the window.

"I already told you I'm not leaving you!" Hiro threw his hands up in frustration, his own voice starting to rise. He took a step forward but hesitated at the fierce look in Iruka's eyes when the younger man looked back at him.

"I'm not the one being an idiot," Iruka growled, eyes flashing in anger. "You _lied_ to me for a year, knowing this was going to happen, and you think I'm going to trust you now?"

Hiro took another step closer. "What are you saying, Iruka?"

Iruka fell silent, eyes going back to watch the trees outside his window. He could see birds hopping amongst the branches and fervently wished he was outside in that tree with them, or anywhere else besides in that room having that conversation. His gut twisted mercilessly and he could feel his pulse throbbing in his throat and in his head. If his heart didn't hurt as much as it did, he would have thought he was dreaming this entire thing.

"If I had known," he near-whispered, "last year that I was going to be standing here, having this conversation, I never would have done this."

"We don't need to be having this conversation now!" Hiro took another hesitant step closer. He reached out a hand but Iruka pulled back.

"Don't touch me." Iruka's expression hardened.

"Iruka…" Hiro ignored the chunin's words and grabbed his arm, pulling him a step closer. Iruka refused to look at him, though, fixing his eyes at some invisible point out the window.

"I would have lost this job for you." His voice was quiet but firm. "I would have gladly stood in a crowd, defending this to those bigoted assholes out there." His eyes finally shifted to Hiro's face. "But you wouldn't." It wasn't a question, it was an accusation. "You'd deny it, hide it, sneak around behind your family forever just to keep up your image and not lose your precious inheritance."

Hiro's brows furrowed and Iruka returned his gaze to the window. His entire body was threatening to shake but he refused to allow it to do so with Hiro's hand on him. An anger was boiling up inside from all the times the past year when Hiro put his image before their relationship, before _him._ Iruka was getting tired of taking a back seat. He knew the importance of keeping a low profile but Hiro's blatant refusal to go against his family spoke volumes to Iruka; he was not important enough in Hiro's life to warrant the other man making an effort.

"What are you saying?" Hiro repeated when it looked as though the chunin wasn't going to speak further.

"Get out of my office, Hiro." Iruka jerked back, detaching Hiro's fingers from his arm. "I'd tell you to get your things from my apartment but you never left so much as a shuriken there, afraid your precious father would somehow find out."

"You're breaking up with me over an arranged marriage?" The disbelief in Hiro's voice was obvious and he made another grab for Iruka's arm. Iruka smacked his hand away.

"No, it's not just the marriage, Hiro," he hissed. "It's over a lot of things. If you've withheld _that _information from me, what else haven't you been telling me?"

"I don't make a habit of lying to you!" Hiro's hand successfully snagged Iruka's sleeve.

"Fine," Iruka spat. "So you just make a habit of lying to other people. You intend to lie to this woman and whatever children you'll have. And then I'll have to teach them, knowing full well I'm sleeping with their father?" Iruka shook his head almost violently. "I can't live with that."

"Iruka-" Hiro started again, attempting to pull the larger man forward. Iruka fused his feet to the floor with a surge of chakra, refusing to be moved.

"When is the wedding?" Iruka asked darkly. "I'd like to know when to avoid leaving my apartment."

Hiro didn't answer, his fingers slipping off Iruka's arm. The younger man gazed side-long at the jonin, eyes hard. "When is it, Hiro?" he repeated.

Hiro opened his mouth to reply then sighed heavily. "Remember that classified mission I had a couple weeks ago?"

Iruka didn't reply, watching him intently. He felt his stomach flip uncomfortable, not liking the man's tone. He nodded once and waited for Hiro to spit it out.

The jonin let out another deep breath. "It wasn't a mission."

They fell silent as Iruka's mind started to whirr. He stared at Hiro as his insides tied themselves into a complicated knot. Finally, his voice cracking with emotion, Iruka managed to speak. "You're already married?"

"Yes." Hiro looked away. "I was going to tell you."

"Get. Out." Iruka jabbed a finger toward the door.

"If I could just explain-"

"I don't want to hear it," Iruka snarled, his temper rearing its ugly head. "I'm done being your second priority, Itou. Get the fuck out of my office and out of my life." Iruka spun, turning his back to the shorter ninja. He heard Hiro scoff and listened to the door click open, then slam shut with enough force to rattle the pictures on the office wall.

* * *

Kakashi was startled when he realized what exactly was transpiring behind that door. His reading of Iruka _had _been correct after all but he'd been in a steady relationship. That's why he hadn't responded the way Kakashi had anticipated at the memorial stone. That caused Kakashi to jerk suddenly. He'd been in a relationship with _Tori?_ That was something Kakashi had not expected. He had never gotten that vibe off the other man.

Kakashi felt a stab of guilt as he stood there listening in on a conversation that was certainly not meant for his ears. There was some force in play, though, that prevented him from leaving. He should have walked away the moment he'd heard Tori talking, found something else to do for a little bit, and then come back later. Yet there he stood with his ear pressed against the doorjamb. Kakashi blamed the missing mission scroll; he told himself he couldn't leave until he'd spoken with Iruka. He didn't want to risk not getting it resolved before the desks closed for the day.

It was almost too late to hide when he heard the sound of Tori walking to the doorway. There was no time to flicker away or exit into the hallway. Quickly, Kakashi did the first thing he could think of: he leapt onto the ceiling, clinging there with his chakra. He hoped that Tori did not think to look up as he exited the room. Luck was with the Copy-Nin and the small, light-haired man stormed from the classroom without so much as a glance in the direction of Iruka's office.

Slowly, Kakashi lowered himself to the ground, landing silently next to the office door. He stared at the classroom's sliding door for a tense moment, waiting to see if Tori decided to return. When no one appeared, he took a deep breath and returned his attention to the office. Raising his hand to knock, Kakashi paused as a new sound met his ears. It took him a minute to figure out what the odd, choking noise was, eye widening when the sound registered. Iruka was _crying_.

The minutes ticked by as Kakashi stood there, fist halfway raised. An odd sensation was creeping over him, preventing him from making a decision. Iruka was obviously upset and, despite his outwardly aloof exterior, Kakashi was not a heartless person. A strange feeling curled in the pit of his stomach at the sobs coming out from behind the door. He didn't dwell on that, though, and finally forced his hand to move.

There was a momentary, shuffling sound from the room, the crying stopping abruptly. After an agonizingly long wait, a slightly muffled voice called out, "Come in."

Steeling himself, Kakashi plastered a pleasant look onto the part of his face that Iruka would be able to see, and pushed the door open. "Good morning, Iruka-sensei," he greeted, lifting his hand in his signature 'hello.'

"Kakashi-sensei. This is unexpected." Iruka sat at his desk, looking every bit like someone who had just been grading papers and not crying. Except, Kakashi noted unobtrusively, that his eyes were red and puffy, and his eyelashes were stuck together in little, dark triangles. His voice was slightly stuffy, too, like he had a cold. Kakashi pretended not to notice and shoved his hands into his pockets, slouching slightly.

"So, there's been a little bit of a paperwork snafu," the jonin stated. "I wanted to ask you about it."

"Paperwork snafu?" Iruka's brow twitched downward. "What do you mean?"

"I handed you a mission scroll yesterday afternoon. According to Ts… Tsi…" Kakashi stuttered slightly and silently cursed himself for making the mistake of trying to remember the mission desk ninja's name.

"Tseno?" Iruka supplied.

"Ah, yeah. That one. He was telling me that it was never stamped as received in the books. And now," Kakashi continued, adapting a forlorn tone, "they're threatening to not pay my team unless the scroll magically shows up."

Iruka started at that and his lips turned down into a frown. "I could have sworn I turned that in yesterday." He stood from his chair and snagged a haversack from where it sat leaning against his desk. He upturned it on the table, a pile of papers, scrolls, and books spilling out. He quickly started sorting through the mess and gasped, snagging a scroll that Kakashi recognized as his own. "I am _so _sorry, Kakashi-sensei! It must have gotten mixed up with some of my school work."

"Meh, it's okay." Kakashi shrugged but he felt a wave of relief wash over him. He really didn't want to have to tell his team that they weren't getting paid for the Soto mission. He could already hear Sakura's lecture about responsibility.

"I'll take care of this right now." Iruka moved purposefully out of the room. Kakashi followed closely behind, wanting to make sure that Tseno saw that it wasn't _his _fault that the scroll had gone missing. The jonin was fairly certain Iruka would foot the blame – his personal integrity seemed solid based on the conversation Kakashi had just overheard – but the Copy-Nin didn't want to leave anything to chance.

It took only a couple minutes to rectify the problem. Kakashi was promised the full amount paid to his account as well as to those of his students, everything was stamped appropriately, and Iruka apologized at least thrice more for misplacing the scroll. Kakashi waved off the apologies with a mild expression.

"If there's anything I can do to make it up to you," Iruka started as they walked back toward his classroom, "just let me know."

"You don't need to worry about it," Kakashi said in reassuring tone. "Really. Not having to listen to those three whine about not being paid is enough for me."

Iruka didn't look convinced. "It was careless of me," he said grimly. "I promise it won't happen again."

They paused outside Iruka's classroom door. There was an awkward moment of silence when Kakashi realized he had no reason to still be following Iruka around. "I should probably go train my team," he mused aloud. "They're likely to think I've died by now. This might be the latest I've been."

"Ever consider setting your clock ahead half an hour?" Iruka quirked his brows.

"Where's the fun in that?" Kakashi smirked, his eye arching as he brought his fingers up in front of his chest. "I'll see you around, Iruka-sensei." With a poof, Kakashi vanished. He reappeared outside the Academy, deciding to make a casual stroll of his walk to the bridge. He pulled out his book, burying his face in the pages.

* * *

Sakura sat on the bridge's wall, kicking her legs. Her teammates were scuffling around on the pavement, doing a few light sparing drills while they waited for Kakashi to show up. He was even later than usual and Sakura was starting to think that they'd misunderstood his instructions. She was about to ask her teammates if they thought they should all go home when the sound of wheels caught her attention. That was odd.

Standing up on the wall, Sakura gazed over to the far side of the bridge. A carriage was trundling along, pulled by a couple oxen, and it was heading straight for them. It was halfway over and almost to them when Sakura let out a small eep. She hopped down and ran over to the boys, yanking them to the side of the bridge.

"Naruto!" she hissed, shaking him slightly.

"What?" he replied, startled. Sasuke stared at them in unabashed confusion.

"_Look!_" She spun him around to face the approaching cart.

"I don't see anything funny," the blonde told her, detaching himself from her hands.

"It's just a carriage. Probably a noble coming to hire shinobi." Sasuke squinted at the coach. "Although they seem pretty loaded down with luggage. Maybe they're moving."

"Look who is walking next to the oxen," Sakura whispered frantically. She resisted the urge to point, not wanting to bring too much attention to herself and the team.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the man leading the oxen. "He's a ninja!"

"So?" Sasuke asked. "You two are behaving like kids. What-"

Exasperated, Sakura glared at her teammates. "Naruto," she growled. "We saw his picture yesterday in those bingo books! He's older now but that's definitely him! It's _Shinji Hibei!_"


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: **Mornin'

**Warnings: **If I could please have everyone stand behind this plexi-glass wall I erected over here, that would be fantastic. The shit will be hitting the proverbial fan and I don't want anyone getting messy. The language warning is most definitely in effect, too.

**Notes: **I'm sorry… but it had to be done.

**Additional**: I'm going away on vacation soon. I'm not sure how much time I'll have to write/internet access in which to post, so don't be expecting anything until around mid-June after this. Sorry for the delay.

**Also: **I'm sorry this update is later than I had originally intended it to be. I was called in for an extra shift at work, giving me only one day off this week. I spent the majority of that day cleaning my house instead of doing something productive, like writing this story for you guys.

**One More Thing: **I didn't camp Guy out as much as I know he can be camped out (Cardboard, your portrayal of him in "Dōseiaisha"has made me laugh more than I could have imagined… "Dramatic Entry" … I nearly sinus enema'd my tea all over my monitor) but I figured this was an extremely serious topic. Guy can be scary-serious when he needs to be. I hope my portrayal of him is at least moderate realistic. This is also where we take a running leap away from in-canon-character-introduction-order. Thanks.

* * *

**Chapter Seven: In Which There are Insults and Kakashi Couch-Crashes**

Kakashi slowed his pace, lowering his book at the flash of green he caught out of the corner of his eye. He was met with a smile bright enough to drop a bird from a tree. "Ah, good morning, Guy." He tucked his book away in its pouch as the other man walked up.

"A glorious day to be alive!" Guy said instead of a greeting, falling into step besides Kakashi.

"It is quite nice out," Kakashi agreed blandly, noting the sunshine and the birdsong. "Did you just return from a mission?"

Guy nodded a few times. "This time it was… a success!" He flashed Kakashi a thumbs-up, although it looked a little awkward since they didn't stop walking, forcing Guy to do it without his signature pose.

Kakashi smiled a little. "The team is coming together then."

"Yes, but even in their failures there is joy because it only means I have yet to teach them everything they will need to know to be the most splendid ninja." Guy clenched a fist in front of his chest, his face intensely sincere. "The day they no longer need me will be a sad one, indeed."

Kakashi resisted the urge to shake his head at his eccentric friend. Guy could find a silver-lining to anything.

"How are your students doing?" Guy continued. "I notice you seem more infused with youthfulness than before. I told you allowing a group to pass would do you some good, my friend." He clapped Kakashi on the shoulder.

"I didn't allow them to pass," Kakashi told him patiently. "They passed on their own. I hadn't realized how much of a handful watching over genin would be, though."

"It gets easier in the second year," Guy encouraged. "They really do stop getting themselves half-killed most of the time."

Kakashi chuckled. It was good to know that he wasn't the only one struggling to keep his students from doing idiotic things during missions. "They're not terrible," he admitted, shoving his hands into his pockets. They fell into a comfortable silence, one that Guy broke shortly.

"So where are you heading this magnificent morning?" The green-clad shinobi glanced around. "I notice that you are lacking your prodigies."

"I'm actually heading out to meet them now," Kakashi explained, then launched into a brief recap of the lost mission scroll. He omitted overhearing Iruka's conversation – that was none of his _own _business, let alone Guy's. "I was going to take them off on another mission but I've changed my mind. I think a couple days of drills will be a better use of their time at this point."

Guy's eyes flicked up toward the sky. "You make a late start of training, Kakashi," he admonished. "How do you ever expect your students to live up to the ideals of great shinobi if your tardiness is their example?"

Kakashi merely shook his head. He wouldn't have been more than maybe fifteen minutes late if it hadn't been for the missing report. "If you think I'm going to rub off on those kids, you're quite mistaken," he said dryly. "They're very driven."

"Perhaps you would like to put them to a test?" Guy asked, almost too eagerly.

Kakashi resisted the urge to roll his eye. "There will be plenty of time to show off our pupils later, Guy," he said firmly. "I really must be getting to their training."

"Oh, but what is a simple competition but additional training of the body and mind? It would prepare them for achieving greater ability through defeat!"

Kakashi's eye narrowed at his friend. "Are you implying that your team would beat mine?"

Guy appeared to ponder that for a moment before stopping in his tracks. He pointed a finger at Kakashi, his other hand on his hip. "That is exactly what I am saying!"

The Copy-Nin did roll his eye that time, not bothering to stop walking. Guy stood awkwardly in his pose for a moment while Kakashi got further away before hurrying to catch up. Neither man deigned to notice the peculiar stares they received from the townsfolk passing by.

"Sometimes you are too hip for even me," Guy announced. Kakashi hoped he wasn't going to start crying again. Guy was terribly over-emotional about little things and Kakashi had had enough of listening to men cry that day. His mind wandered unbidden to the sound of Iruka's sobs, a strange clenching feeling stabbing him in the stomach. He pushed the thoughts away.

"It's not easy being this cool," Kakashi joked back with a light shrug.

"Even so," Guy continued, "I believe a challenge between our teams is long overdue. It will be a most spectacular show of our skills as educators!"

Kakashi gazed at Guy from the corner of his eye. "I'm not dragging my students into your rivalry."

The deflated look on Guy's face was worth the comment, Kakashi decided. "But…" the green-clad man started, "but it is just one more facet of our abilities to mould these impressionable youths into the proud elite. If we don't pit ourselves against one another in that respect, then we will _never _know who is truly the best."

Kakashi waved a hand dismissively. "I concede then. You're the better ninja."

Guy quirked his immense eyebrows then laughed heartily. "I see, I see. Your students are not yet ready to take on my most spectacular pupils. I understand your unwillingness to lose in an unfair fight. You have called me on it, proving yourself the wiser man." Guy smacked Kakashi on the back again in what Kakashi assumed was supposed to be a companionable gesture. It felt more like a mule had just kicked him but the shorter man managed to not stumble under the force.

They walked quietly for another minute or so before the bridge loomed ahead of them. Kakashi prepared to bid farewell to his peculiar friend but as they approached the river, Guy seemed in no hurry to leave. Kakashi sent him a questioning look, arching his eyebrow.

"I would like to meet these aspiring pupils of yours," Guy explained. "I must gage for myself whether they will shape into worthy opponents for my team."

Kakashi bit back a frustrated sigh. Bringing Guy to meet Team Seven was going to delay them even further in their training. Plus, he had a bad feeling about how Naruto would react to the bizarre jonin. First impressions were often important and that blonde boy was not going to give a very good one. "Meh, whatever," Kakashi murmured, half-shrugging. The lazy front worked and Guy's lip quivered momentarily.

"So… hip…" he whispered, although Kakashi could still hear him.

* * *

The wagon crept past while Team Seven stood motionless on the side of the bridge. The handsome man leading the oxen didn't even spare the three junior shinobi a glance as he moved by. Behind the carriage, however, there were more people that did pause to regard them carefully.

The three shinobi appeared to be around the same age as Sakura and the boys, all male with similar features to one another: pale yellow hair, light brown eyes, triangular faces. They looked incredibly familiar to her and Sakura guessed they were probably either brothers or close cousins. They wore their Leaf Village hitai-ate around their foreheads and were gazing at the ones Team Seven wore. Finally, the boy in the middle, the smallest and youngest-looking of the three, grinned and held his hand out toward them.

"Hi!" he greeted good-naturedly.

Thrown off by the friendly greeting, Sakura stared at the strangers. Naruto moved forward, gripping the hand with his own. "Hi," he returned. "Who're you?"

They released hands and the new boy jabbed himself on the chest with this thumb. "Hekai Hibei. This is my team," he continued, pointing to his companions. "Satsui and Gorou Hibei."

Sakura glanced between the boys, realizing suddenly _why_ she had the feeling she'd seen them before. The resemblance between them and Shinji was astounding. Considering they were all from the Hibei family, that wasn't surprising. She snapped out of her inspection when Naruto started talking.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki," he announced, adjusting his forehead protector. Almost as an afterthought, he pointed at his own teammates. "Sakura Haruno and Sasuke Uchiha."

"Uchiha?" Satsui's eyebrows rose as the three Hibei youths looked at Sasuke. "I thought you guys were all dead," he said bluntly.

The corner of Sasuke's eye twitched and inner-Sakura started to yell profanities at the stranger for speaking so rudely. She held her tongue, though, as Sasuke spoke.

"There are a couple of us left… for now." The dark-haired genin glared at the Hibei boys, almost daring them to ask questions with his dour expression.

Satsui backed off, though, brushing back his flaxen hair with a casual sweep of his hand. He shrugged and started to walk toward the wagon, calling over his shoulder, "Come on. Dad'll have our hides if we delay much longer." The silent Gorou followed without a second urging but Hekai lingered uncertainly. He watched the others get a little further away before leaning toward Team Seven.

"Sorry about my nephews," he muttered. "They're kind of jerks. It's not like we're going very far. We're supposed to wait at the other side of the bridge for our host, anyway."

"_Nephews?"_ Sakura squeaked, staring at him. "But they're not any older than you!"

Hekai smiled lop-sidedly, rubbing the back of his head with a hand in a gesture that reminded her a little bit of Naruto. "Well, actually they're both older than me." He adopted a comical sort of grimace. "I was a, what d'ya call it? An 'oops.' Hey, anyway, I'd better go. See you guys around, eh?"

"O... okay." Sakura barely managed to voice that single word before Hekai had raced off after the rest of his family. The wagon had reached the opposite side of the bridge and sat still, waiting for whoever it was Hekai said would be coming for them. Sakura glanced at her companions to gauge their responses and noticed that Sasuke was leaning back against the bridge wall, looking entirely unconcerned while Naruto was openly glaring at the Uchiha, standing only a few inches away from the other boy.

"Why is it always about _you?_" the blonde was asking.

"Shut up, dummy," Sasuke growled. He flicked his gaze between his teammates. "And I thought I told you to drop the 'Hibei' thing."

Sakura flinched guiltily but Naruto was unfazed. "I never said I was going to listen to you," he said mulishly. "Besides, it was Sakura's idea to go to the library."

Half of Sakura wanted to run away and hide somewhere dark and quiet under the look that Sasuke gave her. The other half wanted to pummel Naruto for throwing her under the cart to Sasuke. She was mortified of what he would think of her now.

"And it's not like we found anything out," Naruto was continuing. "We still don't know who-"

Sakura suddenly dived on Naruto, clamping a hand over his mouth. Shocked, he knocked forward into Sasuke and the team fell into a heap together on the bridge. The commotion brought a couple curious glances their way from the Hibei wagon.

"What are you two doing?" Sasuke demanded, attempting to shove his way out from under the pileup. Sakura, face red, jerked her head to the far end of the bridge in the same direction the Hibei cart had come from. Kakashi was walking toward them, accompanied by the same ninja they had seen at the tower before the Soto mission.

"There he is!" Naruto exclaimed, surging to his feet. He pointed the distance across the bridge, raising his voice in a yell. "You're the latest ever, Kakashi-sensei!"

Kakashi stopped a few feet away from them, adapting a rather unconcerned air. "There were some problems with some paperwork. I had to spend this morning at the tower and was unable to come any sooner."

"Paperwork problems?" Sakura gained her feet, dusting off her skirt. "That's got to be the lamest excuse you've used yet!"

"It's not an excuse," Kakashi defended, sounding hurt. "I'm quite sincere."

"You're the worst sort of liar," Sakura replied tartly. "Never on time, always making up stories." She ticked off her fingers as she lectured. "Always reading that stupid book."

"She has a point," Sasuke muttered. He had found his spot against the wall again, leaning back on it with his arms crossed. "This is late even for you, Sensei."

"I can assure you, your sensei is telling you the truth," Guy spoke up suddenly. His smile was almost unnervingly wide and Sakura found herself staring. How could teeth be _that _straight? She wondered how many whitening strips he must have used every day.

Kakashi glanced over at Guy, blinking. "Oh, I had forgotten you were there," he said casually. A vein next to Guy's eye popped slightly and Kakashi motioned toward he genin. "Team Seven," he said by way of introduction. He moved the hand to indicate Guy. "This is Guy-sensei. You will be polite."

Sakura bowed respectfully. She didn't see what the boys did but it must have been acceptable because Kakashi didn't reprimand them.

"What youthful enthusiasm your pupils have for you," Guy spoke, hands on his hips as his dark eyes regarded the trio. "And such affection for one another, enjoying a group hug in a public place is if nothing could stop such devoted camaraderie!" He sighed wistfully and turned his gaze to Kakashi. "I remember those days, don't you?"

Kakashi regarded Guy with a lazy expression. "I honestly have no idea what you're talking about."

"We weren't hugging," Naruto started, glaring in Sasuke's direction but he was pointedly ignored by the other boy. The adults had launched into a hushed conversation and Sakura thought she caught the words "cool," "stylish," and "youthful exuberance" uttered multiple times by Guy. Naruto opened his mouth to speak again but found himself cut off by a noise from the far end of the bridge.

The genin all turned to look while the sensei held their quiet dispute. Someone was getting out of the carriage and, from the looks of it, she was arguing quite forcefully with the man Sakura was positive was Shinji. The junior shinobi couldn't make out the words, but Sakura was surprised when Shinji jabbed his finger in their direction. The woman reached for his arm but Shinji yanked away. The look on his face when he glanced toward them sent alarm bells screeching through Sakura's mind and she looked at her teammates.

"We need to get out of here," she hissed, grabbing Naruto with one hand and Sasuke with the other.

"What? Why?" Naruto asked, although he didn't make any move to detach her hand from his as she started to pull him and Sasuke toward the two jonin trainers.

"The pen," Sasuke muttered from Sakura's other side, looking uncomfortable at having his hand held.

"Exactly," she replied grimly. "I think we should get Kakashi-sensei off this bridge before he notices who is standing right over there."

"Oh!" Naruto turned his head to look back at the disagreement on the far side. "Shinji looks really angry," he added.

"See?" Guy's voice rose and he pointed at the team's clasped hands as they approached. "I must apologize for misjudging your students. They truly are pure hearted individuals who will excel in their efforts. Just look at that teamwork, that companionship. I'm so moved!" To the surprise of the genin, tears started to well out of Guy's eyes and drip down his cheeks. Kakashi merely shook his head, covering his face with a hand.

"We're wasting the day," Sasuke said firmly as Sakura rapidly dropped his and Naruto's hands.

"Yeah, Sensei!" Naruto fisted both of his hands and threw them up toward the sky. "You should teach us something totally cool to make up for making us wait all day!"

Sakura started to put in her two-cents on the matter when a new voice spoke from behind her, interrupting whatever she was about to say.

"I'm sorry… but did they just call _you _'Sensei?'"

Kakashi's single eye swept over to look past Sakura's shoulder. Even though he wasn't looking _at _her, the girl felt something akin to fear clench her stomach painfully at the expression in that eye. It was amazing how much he could convey with a single look and what she saw terrified her. She had seen it not too long ago while standing on a much larger bridge. She hurried out of his line of sight, setting herself up behind Sasuke.

"Shinji," Kakashi murmured evenly, hands immediately shoving into his pockets. His eye swiveled to look at the woman attempting to pull Shinji back toward the wagon. "Megumi. You've grown up nicely, I see."

The woman gulped slightly but held firmly onto Shinji's arm, tugging uselessly. She wore the dark kimono of a married woman, although Sakura guessed she wasn't very old, and there was no sign of a forehead protector anywhere on her body. This was a civilian and much too young to be the mother of Hekai's nephews but too old to be Shinji's daughter. If the kunoichi had to hazard a guess, she supposed this was a sister.

"He'll be here soon. Come on," Megumi urged, still getting nowhere with her frantic pulling.

"No, no," Shinji murmured, shaking her off with a single motion. "My mind is blown; I really need to confirm this."

"Hm." Kakashi's eye narrowed briefly before relaxing into his typical, careless slant. "Come on, you three. We have more important things to do today." He spun on his heel and started back over the bridge. With a couple tentative glances between their instructor and Shinji, Team Seven started to follow. Guy shot a dark look in the Hibei's direction, his ridiculous crying bout gone without a trace.

From behind them, Shinji laughed. Sakura felt a shudder run down her spine at the mirthless noise and she couldn't help but steal a look back at him. His lip was curled, ruining his once-good looks. Sakura had a feeling, though, that she'd never find him even remotely attractive again. There was a cruel vibe wafting off him that was mirrored in his eyes as he gazed at Kakashi's retreating back.

"I knew our Lord Hokage was a little odd, but seriously? Who lets children alone with a faggot?"

Kakashi's steps paused. Beside him, Guy put a restraining hand on the Copy-Nin's arm while Team Seven gawked back at Shinji. Inner-Sakura started to boil in anger, raving about how anyone could dare call their sensei such a thing. Her rage was nearly enough to cause her to speak out. Naruto beat her to it, spinning and jabbing a finger at Shinji.

"Hey!" the boisterous blonde spat, "I don't know who the hell you think you are, but no one talks to Kakashi-sensei like that!"

"Leave it, Naruto," Kakashi growled warningly, still not looking back at Hibei. Slowly, he started forward again and Guy released him.

"But, Sensei-" Naruto started to argue. "This jerk just called you _gay_! You're just going to stand there and let him insult you like that?"

"No, I'm going to head for the training grounds so we can get something done today that doesn't involve listening to a bigoted windbag," Kakashi replied dryly, his eye settling on Naruto. His expression was not open to debate and Naruto clammed up, although he didn't seem pleased about it.

Sakura chanced another glance at Shinji and winced as she fell into step beside Naruto. The man looked livid, although whether it was because he was being called a 'bigot' or if it was because Kakashi wasn't rising to the insult, she wasn't sure.

"Brother," Megumi begged, coming forward again to snag his sleeve. "Let's just go. This isn't worth getting all worked up over." She lowered her voice although Sakura still heard the words clearly. "It's been ten years, just let it die already."

"You think this is so easily forgiven?" Shinji shoved her away more forcefully than necessary considering he was a jonin and she was just a civilian. She stumbled back but was steadied by Hekai; the boy had appeared in a poof of smoke in time to prevent her from falling over.

"Shinji!" Hekai barked, eyes narrowing at the man. "That was uncalled for."

"Shut up, Brat," Shinji replied. "This doesn't concern either of you."

The boy frowned and Megumi burst into sobs that Sakura felt were a little bit too forced, like she was used to dissolving into tears to get her way. Shinji merely rolled his eyes and half-turned toward the lad. "Put your sister back in that damn carriage."

"You're holding onto old grudges, causing a scene," Hekai argued, not moving. "And anything that involves the family involves me."

Shinji sneered. "You weren't even born yet so don't pretend to understand adult issues. Do as you're told."

Glowering, Hekai started to pull his sister back toward the far side of the bridge, muttering at her under his breath. His eyes flicked up and caught Sakura's gaze. He mouthed an apology to her as he unsuccessfully attempted to corral Megumi back into the wagon. The young woman had gone limp, sprawling herself uselessly on the ground next to the carriage. Sakura felt bad for the friendly ninja; he seemed like a genuine sort of person. Not like Shinji, who apparently resorted to petty insults to get his way.

Sakura turned her back to the odd group, trying to force herself to remain calm despite the prickling sensation that was settling itself between her shoulder blades. She was upset over Shinji's actions – shoving his sister around, calling Kakashi bad names, insulting their Hokage – but she was only a genin. She could get away with lecturing Kakashi because, despite his cool exterior, he was actually a pretty good sport. She dreaded to think how Shinji would react if she let Inner-Sakura out to rage at him. A small part of her wished Kakashi would do something about the abysmal man on the bridge but her logical side said that would be stupid. All that man wanted was some sort of reaction from Kakashi and she was pretty sure that her sensei knew that. By merely not responding, Kakashi was insulting Shinji on the same level as calling someone a "faggot." It was beyond offensive. She could only imagine what was going through Kakashi's head.

They were nearly to the other side of the bridge and Sakura started to feel an inkling of hope that they'd left Shinji behind and could continue their day as usual. She should have known better, though. People like Shinji rarely gave up without a fight.

"Fine, take your little toys with you," the pale nin called after them. "Although that little pink-headed one doesn't look much your type, those boys had better watch themselves carefully. Start sleeping with an eye open, lads."

Kakashi stopped walking again and Sakura chanced a glance at up his face. It was unreadable and she felt a tingle of fear creep along her spine. Kakashi usually only had three expressions that she was aware of: anger, boredom, and that occasional smile that reached his eye. It could not be a good sign if he was completely devoid of emotion.

Whatever bad blood was between Shinji and Kakashi, it didn't need to come to a head on the bridge right then. It was obvious that Kakashi was trying to avoid a fight. Not sure what else to do, Sakura snagged the hem of Guy's flak jacket, tugging urgently. She reasoned that if they were as good of friends as Iruka seemed to think, then Guy would be able to keep Kakashi moving. The eccentric jonin peered down at her curiously then at Kakashi when she pointed at the other man. Her motion was too late, though, as Kakashi spun back around to look at Shinji.

"You _will _leave my students out of this," he uttered, his voice dangerously quiet.

"Well, that got a reaction, didn't it?" Shinji mused aloud, a smirk flicking across his features. "You did always like them younger."

Kakashi's eye hardened and Guy's hand landed heavily on his shoulder. The green-clad jonin leaned in, muttering something into Kakashi's ear that Sakura couldn't hear. It seemed to have some sort of effect on her sensei, though, because he nodded slightly and started to relax. He took a step backwards and started to turn around to continue on his way.

"Yes, do as your boyfriend suggests and ignore me," Shinji called. "Although I do have to say that you sure didn't trade up, did you?"

There was a moment of still silence from the two sensei before Guy burst into a startling bout of laughter. The genin stared at him for a long moment, startled by the sudden jubilant noise.

"Shinji," Guy said between chortles. "You are quite mistaken, of course. Kakashi is my eternal rival and nothing more. Perhaps you should actually do a little bit of research before attempting insults." He paused and pointed to himself with his thumb. "Besides, anyone who ends up with this sexy beast would be trading up."

"Is that guy for real?" Naruto muttered from Sakura's side. She merely shook her head, rendered speechless by the entire exchange.

"Cha, whatever. You're about as queer as he is. Green leotard and orange leg warmers? I'm guessing you're the woman, eh?" Shinji sneered, snickering at his own joke.

Guy seemed completely at ease with the insults, though, shrugging them off. "Think what you will," he told the other ninja. "But you're merely jealous that I can make this," he motioned to his body with an extravagant sweep of his arm, "look _this _good."

"You will also leave my friends out of this," Kakashi interrupted, pushing Guy back a step with his hand. "You are nothing more than a coward hiding behind insults and insinuation. You're not worth the dirt on the bottom of my sandal." He spun and started across the bridge again, motioning for his team to follow. They plodded after him obediently, not bothering to hide the baffled looks on their faces.

"I'm the coward, am I?" Shinji called back. "Look who's the one running away. To think that Yasu ruined his life for a fag like you."

Sakura's head whipped around to blatantly stare at Shinji. She heard Naruto make a strangled, choked-off noise and saw Sasuke's intense gaze from the corner of her eye. Nearby, Kakashi's visible pupil had shrunk to a pinprick and Sakura suddenly wished she was anywhere but on that bridge right then. A silence stretched out across the open area between the two groups, only the sound of the river rushing under them audible.

"Guy." Kakashi's voice was soft as he addressed the other jonin. "Will you please take my students to the Sixth Training Ground so they can work on their taijutsu?"

"Kakashi," Guy started uncertainly.

"I'll be fine but I do not want them here right now." His eye narrowed although he had yet to turn around to face Shinji again. He dropped his voice to ensure it would not carry across the bridge to the Hibei ninja. "He is not an honorable man and I don't want them hurt by his carelessness."

Guy hesitated for a minute before nodding. "Don't do anything foolish," the taller man murmured before looking at the bewildered genin. "Well, come along! You guys are in luck; it isn't every genin that gets private lessons with Konoha's Green Beast."

Sakura found herself hustled along by the over-excitable jonin. She tried to catch a glimpse of her sensei before they rounded a bend and disappeared behind some trees. The look of pure hatred she witnessed before Kakashi turned around sent her stomach into her knees.

* * *

Kakashi told himself that he should have just stayed in bed that morning. He had been tempted to do so when his alarm had gone off at six. His blankets were warm, his mattress was soft, and his pillow had been whispering his name so invitingly. But he had forced himself to get up and get dressed, made his feet walk the path to the memorial stone, and then dutifully tore himself away from there in order to go to the tower.

His first sign that he should have just given up and gone home was that missing mission scroll. Things turned downhill quickly when he inadvertently eavesdropped on a very emotional break-up between two of his acquaintances. Now, just as he was hoping to have some normalcy in his day, _this_ had to happen. And in front of his team, too.

It was perhaps that last point that grated on him the most. He had wanted to leave them out of anything concerning his personal life. Period. Now there would be even more questions he would have to avoid. He just hoped Guy kept his mouth shut. He had the sinking feeling that the other jonin would feel obligated to do a bit of explaining, though, and Kakashi was going to have to run damage control once he got his team back.

He watched as the three genin were ushered off by Guy before turning to face Shinji. His eye flicked briefly to the family by the carriage but disregarded them almost immediately. Megumi was finally shoved back into her coach and the three boys were attempting to keep her there by barring the doors. Although the youngest looked on uncertainly, the other two boys were staring daggers at Kakashi. Apparently Shinji had told them something of Yasu, though Kakashi was pretty sure it was steeped in derogatory terminology, painting Kakashi as the bad guy.

Kakashi walked forward a few paces until he was just a couple yards from where Shinji stood. There he waited, deciding to allow Shinji the first move. As much as he hated the Hibei man, Kakashi would rather be able to claim self-defense for any injuries Shinji would endure if it came to physical blows.

"Don't want your precious kiddies to hear the truth, I see," Shinji scoffed the moment Kakashi stopped walking.

"I told you that you will leave them out of this," Kakashi replied evenly. He clenched his fists but made no other move.

Shinji shrugged. "So protective. They seem younger than your usual, even. Branching out?"

Kakashi's eye twitched. "I'm gay, not a pedophile," he said bluntly. Now that his students were out of earshot and it was just him and the Hibei clan, Kakashi had no reasons to guard his word choice.

"A freak of nature is a freak of nature," Shinji returned waspishly. "I'm surprised anyone in this village trusts you around children. You're bound to wash off on them, ruining even more lives with your…" Shinji encompassed Kakashi with a vague gesture and a sound of disgust.

"You've always been a close-minded moron," Kakashi muttered through his teeth. "Ten years and you still think I corrupted Yasu by standing too close to him." He shook his head in mock-disbelief. "You're really a piece of work, Shinji. He was born that way, just like the rest of us."

Shinji snorted scornfully. "That's what they all say but I know differently. Yasu was fine before you came along."

"He was fine after I came along, too, until you stuck your nose where it didn't belong." Kakashi shifted his weight onto the balls of his feet and crossed his arms. "Just like you're doing now."

The other man's lips pulled back from his teeth in a grimace. "It was my duty to stop his disgraceful actions before they put a blemish on our family name."

"Of course," Kakashi answered darkly. "You couldn't have him ruining the name any more than you're already doing. Ego hates competition." Kakashi felt a small pang of satisfaction at the twitch that started to develop next to Shinji's eye. "But was it your duty to barge into my afternoon? I haven't done anything to you lately that I'm aware of."

"Just your existence is enough." Shinji stepped into a slightly wider stance. "You lost my family a damn good candidate for furthering our connections-"

Kakashi laughed a single, short bark that held no humor. "Yes, because that's all your family is to you: marriage fodder to make you money." Kakashi let his eye wander over to Hekai. The boy looked no more than nine or ten, although extremely talented by the quality of the teleport-flicker he had used earlier. "You probably already have his life planned out, too. Poor kid. Not even a teenager and you have him promised to the highest bidder. It must have cost you a fortune to get rid of your sister; you've got to make up the lost income somehow."

His words had the desired effect as Shinji's face started to redden. Kakashi silently dared him to attack, wanting nothing more at that moment than to smash Shinji's face into the cobbles of the bridge. He was pretty certain that he outmatched Shinji, despite their similar rank, and it would give him some small bit of satisfaction to disgrace him in front of that damnable family of his. The death-glares Kakashi was receiving from the other two boys spoke volumes of how deep-seeded the prejudice ran in the Hibei line. Only Hekai seemed uncomfortable with the proceedings and was busying himself with the oxen.

"What I do with my family is none of your business," Shinji snarled.

"And what I do with my life is none of yours," Kakashi spat back before Shinji had a chance to voice another thought. "So finish up whatever business you have in Konoha and get the fuck out of my town."

Whatever Shinji was going to reply was cut off as one of the glaring-boys called from his spot by the carriage. "Oy, Dad, Uncle Itou's here. Wrap it up with the queer so we can go eat some lunch."

Kakashi's eye snapped over to the speaker and then beyond him to the man standing near the oxen. Words he had overheard that morning echoed in his head, rebounding off his mental walls as he stared openly at Tori. He almost felt a stab of pity for the small jonin, forcibly married into a family full of chauvinistic ass-wipes. But, after having heard how Tori handled the situation with Iruka, Kakashi just could not muster the will to think anything except that the Itou man deserved the Hibei clan.

Mirthless laughter bubbled up from inside before Kakashi had a chance to put a cap on in. The turn of events was just too ridiculous. He met the light blue eyes of his old squad-mate and winked before taking a step back, disappearing in a swirl of smoke.

* * *

The moment they reached the clearing of the Sixth Training Ground, Sakura spun and pointed a finger at Guy. "We want answers!" she demanded with no preamble. Beside her, Naruto nodded vigorously. Sasuke didn't object, narrowing his gaze at the man in the leotard. Any inhibitions he had about discovering what was up with the Hibei had flown out the window the moment Shinji started name-calling.

Guy regarded them quietly for a moment, his face grim. In all reality, he should probably keep his mouth shut concerning what happened on the bridge. He wondered, though, how much worse their imaginations would make it if they weren't at least told the basic truth. "My Eternal Rival is a secretive person," he started slowly, folding his arms. He leaned back against a training post, crossing his ankles.

"So you don't know anything about him?" Sakura deflated.

"I never said that," Guy returned, lips turning down. He glanced up at the sky, sighed, and returned his gazed to the genin. He matched each one's look with a stern one of his own. "But I will not tell the faint of heart a single thing about him unless I know the intentions are pure."

Naruto screwed his face up. "What?"

"We just want to understand," Sakura said, drawing Guy's attention away from the baffled Naruto in order to give the blonde time to digest what Guy had said. "We want to help. He's been so out of sorts lately."

"Perhaps an outlining of what you have already surmised?" Guy suggested.

Sakura nodded and told the jonin about the odd encounter with Soto, as well as her and Naruto's trip to the archives. She kept it succinct, taking less than a couple minutes to relay the little bit of information they had figured.

"It's got something to do with this Yasu guy," Naruto added with certainty. "And with ANBU. Was Yasu ANBU?"

"Yasu was, and most likely still is, a civilian," Guy answered simply.

"Who is he?" Sakura asked quietly, wondering at Guy's wording.

"This is not my story to tell," Guy warned, his face so serious the team had to wonder if this was the same guy from the bridge who had burst into tears over a mere hand-holding.

"Anything would be helpful," Sakura urged. "Maybe just tell us why Shinji is so angry at Kakashi-sensei. He called him such mean things."

Guy teetered on the edge of indecision. The pink-haired girl, at least, seemed genuine in her concern. It was harder to read the Uchiha lad. Naruto, though, was an open book. The hyperactive genin's serious face mirrored Guy's own. With a nod to himself, Guy made a quick decision. "Be tactful about how you handle this information," he cautioned, holding up a finger in forewarning, "because if you turn it on him, you will make an enemy of Konoha's most fabulously noble Green Beast." He took a deep breath and regarded their eager faces from behind his lashes, wondering how to say what he was about to say. He was not exactly known for his subtlety so perhaps blunt was the best option.

"Shinji is angry at Kakashi," he said carefully, "because he blames Kakashi for turning Yasu into a homosexual." His words were met with initially blank stares.

"But that doesn't make any sense," Sakura started uncertainly, finger coming up to her lips. She bit on her nail in thought.

"Yeah. Kakashi-sensei isn't gay," Naruto added, his face turned into a deep frown. "Why would that-"

"Actually," Guy interjected, shifting his back against the post, "he is."

The stillness that descended in the clearing was palpable as three sets of pre-teen eyes stared at Guy.

"But…" Naruto started. Sakura interrupted him.

"But people are born that way, not turned that way," she argued, ignoring whatever it was that Naruto was about to say. "At least, that's what my mom told me. Why would Shinji blame our sensei for something that can't be helped?"

"He seems like an ass," Sasuke spoke for the first time since they'd arrived at the training ground. Guy could practically see the smoldering anger radiating from the Uchiha. "Blames the nearest scapegoat on things he cannot comprehend."

Naruto was looking between his teammates, obviously surprised by how calmly they were taking the revelation. He looked about ready to start objecting, although to what Guy wasn't sure. The jonin waited quietly, giving the genin a moment to gather himself.

"But he seems so _normal_," Naruto finally managed.

"Normal?" Sakura repeated. "He walks around reading porn and making up lame excuses for being late. We've never seen him eat and he giggles at his own bad jokes. How is that _normal?_"

"Well, normal... ish." Naruto threw his hands up helplessly. "Seriously, Bushy Brow-sensei?" he turned his eyes back to Guy, who pointedly ignored the name.

"I have never been more sincere in my entire life. And I am very, _very_ sincere about everything."

Naruto quieted for a long moment while his team watched him mull the information over. He looked more pale than usual and Guy wondered if he needed to sit down.

"Can I… can I go for a bit?" Naruto murmured after his face contorted into a decidedly queasy expression. "I think I need some time to… to think."

"Naruto," Sakura started, the lecturing tone creeping into her voice. Guy cleared his throat, bringing her attention away from her comrade and to the jonin. He shot her a silencing look before nodding to Naruto.

"Of course," Guy said graciously. Without another word, Naruto turned around and trudged out of sight through the trees surrounding the training ground. The moment he was out of earshot, Sakura's temper exploded.

"Sensei!" she near-hollered. "How could you just let him go like that?"

"Not everyone is as accepting of such news so quickly," Guy told her honestly. "The fact that two out of three are so keen on this information is a surprise to me. Your mother has taught you to think with an open mind and an open heart, Sakura," he said kindly. "As for you," he looked over at Sasuke questioningly.

"I had a gay uncle," the Uchiha muttered, shoving his hands into his pockets. He kicked a rock near his foot and watched it bounce off one of the practice targets. "He was a nice man."

Guy nodded a few times in understanding. "Whereas you must remember: Naruto had no one to teach him these things as an impressionable youth. He must figure it out on his own now. Be patient with him. I can see in his eyes that he adores your sensei. He will come around." Guy took a deep breath and let it out before suddenly jumping forward, landing in a wide stance only a couple feet from the two remaining genin.

"Now!" he exclaimed, raising his fist to the air. "Let us commence a most excellent taijutsu lesson until my Honorable Rival arrives to take the helm of this boat of youthfulness! Bam!" The genin were forced to scramble out of the way as a body made of spandex launched himself headlong into their midst.

* * *

Kakashi watched quietly for a moment while Guy chased two of the members of Team Seven around the practice field. It was a comical mis-match of skill and Kakashi could tell that Guy wasn't even using a quarter of his strength and speed, but he didn't feel quite like interrupting yet. He tried not to think about what Guy may or may not have told them and he noted Naruto's obvious absence. Knowing the boy's penchant for a full frontal attack, not seeing him attempt to spar Guy head-on meant he was not there at all.

Finally, knowing he would have to face them eventually, Kakashi dropped out of a tree to land right on top of Guy. The bowl-cut ninja landed face first into the dirt with Kakashi crouched on his back, forearms resting on his knees. He raised a hand at this startled students. "Yo."

"Kakashi-sensei!" Sakura looked relieved and Kakashi felt a little better at her enthusiasm to see him. He turned his gaze to Sasuke; the boy nodded a greeting and Kakashi took that as a good sign, too.

"One," the Copy-Nin said, standing and stepping off Guy's back so the other man could stand. He pointed at Sakura then at Sasuke. "Two." He looked around deliberately then tilted his head at Guy. "You seem to have lost one."

"Ah, his youthful vigor needed time to accumulate itself," Guy explained, dusting off his front. "And that did not count," he added. "I had not challenged you. Yet." The taller jonin started to point a finger at Kakashi but the other adult waved a hand dismissively.

"I'm vetoing any challenges you issue today," Kakashi replied frankly before Guy had the chance to speak further. "I would not be at my best and then you'd feel cheated in your victory."

"Circumstances being what they are, I will forgive you for not accepting any." Guy looked pleased with his own courteousness and Kakashi let him be so. He wasn't in the mood to argue with Guy over whether or not Kakashi needed his forgiveness for anything.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura shuffled forward, her hands clasped in front of her chest. She started to reach a tentative hand toward him then thought better of it, twining her fingers together once more where they rested against her shirt. He stared blandly down at her, shoving his hands into his pockets and slouching as per usual. "Uhm," she hummed out slightly then glanced over at Sasuke as if silently asking him to lend her a hand. The other genin seemed disinclined to speak but wasn't avoiding his gaze.

Guy suddenly struck a pose and gave Kakashi a thumbs up. "They are totally cool with it," was all he said before saluting. "Until next time, my Eternal Rival! I leave you with your fantastically hip prodigies!" He poofed out of the area and Kakashi sighed.

"Sorry to leave you with him," he muttered to the junior shinobi.

"He's insane," Sakura said bluntly. "But we're glad you're okay."

Kakashi blinked silently for a minute before allowing his eye to curve upwards in a soft smile. "Thank you, Sakura. Now, let's see what you managed to learn from Guy-"

There was a movement from the direction of town and Kakashi spun, kunai out instantly. He was not expecting anyone else to show up and, after encountering Shinji, he was a bit on edge. Surprisingly, it was a Black Ops agent. Kakashi lowered his guard and opened his mouth to question the man's sudden appearance. He didn't get a chance to speak as the ANBU pointed back toward town.

"Maki Street is burning!" he gasped out. "All hands are being called for the fire brigade." Then he was gone, moving on the next group to send out the alert. Kakashi glanced at his students for half a second, barely registering the alarm on their faces before he took off toward town at a dead sprint through the trees. _He _lived on Maki Street.

* * *

"I'm so sorry, Kakashi-sensei." Sakura stood half a step behind him, her voice quavering and raspy from smoke inhalation. On his other side, Sasuke's white shorts were covered in dark black soot. Kakashi's own uniform was smeared with the results of fire-fighting. In front of him, barely remaining upright as most of the support beams had burned through, was what remained of his apartment building. On either side, more buildings – homes and businesses alike – stood devastated from the fire. It had been caused by an appliance short-circuiting in a seamstress' shop and it spread quickly, the old timber being the perfect tinder after such hot, dry weather. The scope of the damages had not yet been fully assessed but Kakashi didn't give a damn. The only thing he currently cared about was right in front of him.

Slowly, despite the threat of the top half of the building collapsing on him, Kakashi stepped over the threshold where the door used to stand. His kitchen was completely gone, twisted metal pipes the only indication of where his sink once stood. His refrigerator was a blackened husk, his kitchen table a pile of ash on the floor. He walked through it, already too filthy to care. He couldn't even identify where his couch had sat or what had happened to the contents of his bookshelf. He was glad he had brought Icha Icha with him that morning, saving it from the fate of his other books.

Carefully, not wanting to cause what was left of the apartment above him to come crashing down, Kakashi moved to the far side of his home, kicking up poofs of gray dust as he moved. The ash was hot on his toes but he ignored the discomfort, still in a state of shock from the entire thing. His bedroom door was miraculously still on its hinges, although the wall beside it was essentially gone, making the whole concept of a door pointless. Kakashi stepped into his bedroom and poked around dully, looking for anything that had escaped the fire. His bed was badly burnt, his wooden chest of tools completely crisped. Most of his metal weaponry looked intact but anything with a wooden handle was rendered nearly useless. His wardrobe was gone, his closet full of blackened uniforms. The smell was horrible even through his mask.

Realizing he really couldn't salvage anything, Kakashi dropped down onto his hands and knees next to the rubble of his bed. He started pawing under the drooping mattress until his fingers contacted something square. He yanked it out, ignoring how hot it was to the touch. It was a metal box about the size of a cookie tin and in it were the only possessions he really cared about. Praying silently to whoever was listening, he tore the lid off with slightly seared fingers. Inside, warm but whole, was a pile of pictures and important documents. He pressed the lid back over the top, stood, and left the building, clutching the treasure to his chest tightly.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked timidly as he stood near them. He turned his doleful gaze to her. "Are you okay?" she whispered. He could see his expression mirrored in her face, the sight of the destruction taking its toll on her naïve mind. Dully, he nodded.

"Go home, you two," he muttered, his own voice hoarse. "No training tomorrow." The dismissal in his tone was obvious and, after just a second of hesitation, the genin slogged away through a street that ran black with the mixture of soot from the debris and the water used to put out the blaze. He lingered just a moment himself before turning away and following after them. He had to get to the tower and request temporary accommodations until he could find a new apartment. As much as he hated having to live in government housing, packed in like a sardine with a neighbor practically on his lap, it beat sleeping in the street. Shinobi housing at least came fully furnished and there usually were a couple of apartments empty at any given time due to the death-rate of the occupants.

He barely registered any of the walk to the tower, lost in his thoughts. He wasn't particularly attached to most of the items in his apartment but it still hurt to know that it was all gone. His favorite stir-fry book, his collection of interesting scrolls, his shuriken-themed bed sheets… all gone because someone hadn't unplugged their fucking coffee pot.

The tower was abuzz with activity when he arrived, people being dispatched to take care of the clean-up and check for bodies. It was ridiculous to think everyone made it out of the blaze alive and search and rescue teams were being rapidly assembled. Kakashi moved past troops of chunin as they hustled out of the building, letting his feet take him automatically toward the administrative wing of the tower.

The housing department was manned by a single chunin, her colleagues having been borrowed by the fire brigade. Her hair was pulled back in a severe bun that did nothing to alleviate the pinched expression that adorned her face. Kakashi felt a little apprehensive the moment he saw her and the sour expression she wore. It would have been best to butter her up a bit before making requests but he was too tired to play nice right then.

"I need a room," he told her bluntly without as much as a 'hello.'

She sized up his filthy appearance, noting the hitai-ate and his mask. People knew who he was and he saw the flicker of recognition pass across her eyes. Her expression immediately softened as she cleared her throat delicately into her hand and shuffled a few papers on her desk.

"I'm sorry, Sir, but there aren't any," she told him, sympathy creeping into her voice.

He blinked a couple times at her dumbly. "What?"

"They're all loaned out right now," she reiterated patiently. He could see the pity in her eyes. "I know it couldn't be helped, but your neighborhood picked a very bad time to burn down."

"No… rooms…" he repeated dully, the information slow to sink in. He had just lived through one of the shittiest days he'd had in a very long time and this was not what he wanted to hear. He would have to get a hotel but that would be more expensive than the cheap rent shinobi had to pay for the studio-style apartments.

"There aren't any in town at all," the chunin continued. "I have reports that the only rooms left in the hotels have already been reserved."

"Reserved?" he mumbled, confused. His head was starting to throb.

The woman peered up at him, brow furrowed. "The Chunin Selection Exams are only a week away, Sir. There won't be a free room in town until after they start and some of the applicants either drop out or are killed. I'm afraid we've had to accommodate more this year than usual and there simply isn't anywhere we can put you. You'll have to stay with a friend."

Kakashi stared at her, the words not processing quickly. When they finally sank in, Kakashi clutched his box a little closer to his chest. He didn't exactly have a friend he could stay with, although his mind started shuffling through prospective candidates anyway.

Sakura's mom, as far as he could tell, hated him on principal. Mrs. Haruno had never been enthusiastic that her only daughter's sensei was a porn-reading pathological liar. The brief time he had actually met the woman, she had threatened him with bodily harm - and with an egg beater – should her daughter befall any sort of harm due to his lackadaisical negligence.

Even if Naruto hadn't been avoiding him, Kakashi also counted the blonde out for temporary accommodations. The jonin dismissed the idea of Sasuke as well. Both of the male members of Team Seven lived in the smallest of the single-roomed shinobi housing; there simply wouldn't be room for a houseguest.

That left Guy and Kakashi shuddered to think of ever sharing a living space with the King of the Fashionably-Challenged. He would rather sleep in someone's doorway than in that crazy man's living room. The last time Kakashi had been between homes, he had taken Guy up on his offer to crash on his couch for a few days. That had been a colossal mistake. If he remembered correctly, Guy routinely woke up at four-thirty in the morning to exercise, something that was often punctuated by loud battle-cries and impromptu motivational speeches. Not even at kunai-point would Kakashi agree to cohabitate with that man again.

Deflated, Kakashi walked out of the housing department and made his way to the ground floor of the building. If the weather report was anything to go by, they were in for more warm temperatures. He may have been lacking a sleeping roll or, well, anything except for his memory-box, but it wouldn't be the worst night to sleep under the stars. He was about to head for the memorial stone when a hand on his arm stopped him from leaving. Startled that he had been caught unawares, he glanced at the offending hand then traced his gaze up the arm to settle on the face.

"Iruka?" he mumbled, not even bothering with the honorific. The other man was just as sooty as Kakashi. A puddle of black liquid was pooling at his feet, carried there from Maki Street by the chunin's sandals.

"I ran into Sakura on my way back," Iruka explained, ignoring the lack of title. Considering the circumstances, it didn't seem appropriate. "She told me you lived there."

Kakashi merely nodded blankly. His eyes fixated on a smear across Iruka's cheek, not wanting to see pity or sympathy in the other man's eyes. He frowned as an acrid scent wafted off the chunin when the younger man shifted. Kakashi tilted his head and looked more closely at Iruka's pony-tail. His hair was definitely singed; he had been in the thick of the fire and had not come out completely unscathed.

"Were you able to find housing?" Iruka continued, either ignoring or failing to notice Kakashi's odd scrutiny.

Kakashi shook his head in response. His throat hurt from the ash-filled air he'd been forced to breathe during the fire-fighting efforts; he really didn't want to talk much.

"Anywhere to stay at all?" Iruka pressed, frowning at the vacant expression that was starting to settle over the jonin's face.

Again, all Kakashi could do was shake his head. He was extremely tired and felt his eyelid starting to droop. He really wanted to lie down somewhere and forget this entire day even happened. A lost mission scroll, Shinji, being outted to his team, and then losing his house all in less than twenty-four hours was a bit much to fully process, even for someone like Kakashi who had known nothing but misfortune most of his life.

"Come on." Iruka gave Kakashi's sleeve a tug, sending up a little cloud of ash.

"Hn?" It wasn't exactly an intelligent response but it got his point across.

Iruka sighed and gave his arm another gentle pull. "My couch is a hide-a-bed," he said patiently. "It's not the most comfortable piece of furniture in existence, but it beats nothing."

"Why?" Kakashi finally croaked as his feet started to move forward under Iruka's coaxing. They exited the building and started toward the shinobi apartments, Iruka still holding onto Kakashi's forearm as if he was afraid Kakashi would keel over if he let go.

Iruka frowned briefly at Kakashi. "Your house just burnt down." He obviously thought that was explanation enough.

"You're not my friend," Kakashi said next, his word-filter not working properly as exhaustion slowly took over. "You don't even like me."

The chunin paused and Kakashi nearly collided with his back. "What gave you that impression?" the younger man asked, obviously bewildered. He really didn't hide his emotions well but Kakashi didn't care at that point.

"Because you run off whenever I spend five minutes in your company?" Kakashi offered.

Iruka sighed and shook his head. "That's an exaggeration," he scolded. "I can manage at least fifteen minutes before you do something childish that chases me away."

Kakashi recognized the joke and made an honest attempt to chuckle. It came out as a hack followed by a cough that ended in a wheeze. Iruka seemed to understand what the noise was _supposed _to be and smiled back. He started walking again, and Kakashi, arm still held captive by Iruka, followed obediently.

The climb up the many stairs to the top floor was grueling but Kakashi didn't complain. He plodded along doggedly, brushing off Iruka's offers to pause and rest. He was relieved when they finally hit the outer walkway of the top level. A short walk later and Iruka was unlocking his door. Kakashi was ushered inside and, despite his fatigue, he took a minute to glance around the apartment.

It was small, as expected, but still larger than the ones Naruto and Sasuke lived in. Iruka had a living room/dining room combo that contained the previously mentioned couch, a coffee table, and a dining table with two chairs pushed neatly in. The kitchen was small and open to the dining area, but it looked well organized to utilize what little space there was. The refrigerator was plastered with photographs of Iruka and his students, the collage held up with a variety of amusing magnets shaped like anything from ninja weapons to fruit. He even had one of those little magnet sets made up of pre-printed words so people could make them into sayings or poems. Currently, it wrote out "as it the be unfolded not cat to wagon is fish bee totebag," which Kakashi took to mean "I don't actually use this for anything but to tack up more photographs."

As Kakashi scrutinized artwork Iruka had tacked to a corkboard in the dining area, Iruka disappeared into one of the two other doors in the apartment. Many of the "masterpieces" were signed by the child who drew it and dated with their age and the year. He marveled at the sheer number, most of which were some theme of a generic drawing of Iruka standing with a generic drawing of the child. Arrows were usually involved, along with words to indicate which stick-figure was Iruka and which stick-figure was the student. The oldest picture was dated three years ago and had the words "My New Awesome Teacher" chicken-scratched and poorly spelled across the top. The signature in the corner indicated the artist was only six when they drew it.

The sound of Iruka's footsteps approaching dragged Kakashi away from the corkboard. He stared at the bundle Iruka was offering him before setting down his memento box on the dining table in order to take it.

"If you don't fit in those, I'll be very surprised," Iruka told him with a glance at the other ninja's stature. "There's a drawstring on the sweats incase they're a little loose. You look narrower than me but the length'll be perfect. You can shower first. The towels in there are fresh so use whatever you need. I'll get this thing ready for you so you can sleep; if you're even half as tired as you look, you'll be wanting to go to bed soon." Iruka pat the back of the couch to indicate what he was talking about.

Kakashi moved automatically toward the bathroom but paused halfway there. He turned back around and stared at Iruka as the man started pulling the cushions off the couch. "Why?" he asked again, realizing he never received an actual answer on their way to the apartment.

Iruka considered Kakashi for a moment. "Do you really need a reason?"

"Yes," Kakashi replied firmly. "Why?"

Iruka sighed and shook his head. "I can't just be a nice guy?" he asked rhetorically. "Just consider this payback for almost costing you that mission payment. Now stop arguing and start showering. You smell like an ashtray."

Kakashi smirked slightly then moved toward the bathroom door again. He stopped on the threshold and glanced back over his shoulder. "Iruka?" he rasped.

"Yes?" the chunin looked up from where he was bent over, pulling out the folding bed from inside the couch.

"Thank you."

Iruka smiled, straightening his back. "You're welcome, Kakashi."


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: **Guten tag.

**Warnings: ** The language warning is still in effect and probably will be for the remainder of the fic.

**Notes: **Although I do not often highlight reviews in the author's notes, one caught my eye that I wanted to answer but the reviewer did not log in so I could not send a PM in response. I'm going to do this now. So, "I'm too lazy to login" (no, really… that's the name they left!) asked "Why does Kakashi read Icha Icha, which is about naked women, if he is gay?" To answer this, I'm going to pose another question that I'd like you think on: Why do I, a heterosexual woman, enjoy reading and writing gay porn? The answer to this, my lovely readers, is that you do not need to share the sexuality of the protagonists to feel a connection to their lives and wish to see them triumph (in bed, even), or to even enjoy a well-written story.

**Additional**: I had completely intended all the information in this chapter to only take a few pages to convey. Man was I way off. Thus, the originally intended events of Chapter 8 have been pushed back into Chapter 9. I'm sad because those events heavily involve Guy, who I find absolutely delightful. Oh well, you'll just have to wait another chapter for his magnanimous return. See you guys when I get back from vacation! As usual, if you see a glaring typo, feel free to point it out so I can fix it. Thanks!

**Also: **Sorry for the ending of this chapter…

**Chapter Eight: In Which Kakashi Investigates and Hekai Delivers a Letter**

Iruka padded out of his bedroom right as the sun started to peek over the top of the village. He yawned, stifling it with the back of his hand as he stretched his other arm over his head. He slumped groggily into his kitchen and snagged his tea-kettle, filling it with water at the taps. He moved around the small area automatically, setting the kettle to warm and grabbing down his favorite mug from the cupboard. It took him a long moment to realize he wasn't alone in the room.

His haziness vanished immediately as the previous day's events came flooding back into his sleep-addled brain. Focused, he felt the disturbances in the air that meant someone was in his living room. Glancing over at the hide-a-bed, Iruka watched Kakashi sleep for a minute before pulling down a second mug.

Knowing someone was asleep nearby, Iruka doubled his efforts to move quietly. The other man had lost his home less than twelve hours ago; if anyone needed some time to rest, it was the Copy-Nin. Doing his best to not clink things together, Iruka mixed a few different loose-leaf teas – ones he knew would induce calming and sooth sore throats – in one of his metal steepers. He set it in the second mug before grabbing himself a pre-packaged sachet of simple black, adding a dollop of honey to help his own scratchy voice. He stopped the kettle before it whistled and poured his mug of morning caffeine. He didn't fill Kakashi's yet, though, not wanting it to get cold before the other man had a chance to drink it.

Holding his steaming mug between his hands, Iruka leaned back against his kitchen counter and observed the sleeping jonin. A small part of him wished Kakashi had chosen not to wear his mask to bed, but Iruka knew that was silly. That ridiculous mask was part of who Kakashi was and the chunin knew the older man wasn't about to just ditch it because he'd been offered a couch to crash on. Still, he had looked decidedly uncomfortable the previous night when he exited the bathroom, mask damp from washing it. Iruka did not wear masks so, although his clothing fit the other man due to their near-equal body builds, Kakashi had no alternative for hiding his face than to rinse the soot off, wring it out, and wear a wet mask to bed.

Iruka allowed himself a moment to fantasize about what was actually under that mask. It was a big point of interest for quite a few of the townsfolk, both shinobi and civilian. Iruka would never be so intrusive as to ask Kakashi to remove it, but he was still as curious as the next person what was hidden underneath. He had heard many wild rumors about it through the gossip-mill and the general consensus was that he was just too pretty to look at so he hid it for the good of humanity. Iruka silently called bullshit on that one; Kakashi had a reason to don the mask and that reason was no one else's business.

Sipping his tea, Iruka moved back to his bedroom to start preparing for the day. The end of the term was quickly approaching and he only had a couple more days to drill the kids' heads full before they took a couple months off and forgot it all.

Iruka set his mug down on his nightstand and moved to his closet, pulling out a clean uniform. He dressed quickly, tossing his pajamas into the hamper that stood by the closet door. It was just about time to do some laundry, he noted absently as he started to gather a second set of clothing for Kakashi. Although the Copy-Nin would be getting a new set of shinobi uniforms from the tower, Iruka was not about to allow him to walk through town in a ratty pair of sweat pants and an oversized t-shirt in order to do so. They wore the same size clothing; Kakashi could just borrow some of Iruka's until his were replaced.

The chunin paused as he eyed the clothing spread out on his bed, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. He had brought Kakashi here wearing only what the jonin had been dressed in that day. The man had _absolutely nothing_ clean to wear. Iruka hovered over his chest of drawers, fingering the handle for the top one. He felt a blush start to creep up onto his face at the thought of offering Kakashi a pair of his underwear, then blushed more furiously at the thought of Kakashi having to go commando in a pair of Iruka's uniform pants. Finally, biting the bullet, Iruka snagged out a pair of his least-embarrassing boxers and added them to the pile. He just wouldn't say anything about them and hope that Kakashi didn't make any sort of fuss about wearing another man's underwear.

Kakashi was still asleep when Iruka returned to the living room. The brunette set the new outfit out on the dining table and wrote a short note on some scratch paper, setting it on top. He briefly eyed the strange, metal tin Kakashi had brought with him but didn't dare touch it. The possessive way Kakashi was clutching it yesterday at the tower made Iruka tentative to even acknowledge its existence. It was obviously of great importance to the Copy-Nin and it was probably the only thing that had survived that fire.

Moving back into the kitchen, Iruka pulled a bento from the refridgerator – he always made a habit of preparing his next day's lunch the night before – and snagged a sticky-bun from a package on top of his 'fridge. He shoved the bento into his school satchel, slung the pack over his shoulder, and paused next to the dining table to look at Kakashi one last time. As an afterthought, Iruka added a spare key to the pile on the table then slipped out of the apartment, locking it quietly behind him.

* * *

That bird needed to die and die horribly. Kakashi buried his head under his pillow and tried to block out the incessant twittering outside the window. All he wanted to do was sleep in a little but mother-nature was working against him. Between the bird and his uncomfortably full bladder, Kakashi knew falling back asleep was not going to happen. With a frustrated grunt, Kakashi pushed himself into a sitting position, tossing the blankets aside.

It took him a moment to orient himself when he forced his eye open. These weren't his sheets. This wasn't his living room. This wasn't his home. His heart squeezed painfully when he remembered exactly why he was sitting on a couch-bed in a small, shinobi-issue apartment. With a heavy sigh, Kakashi stood up and headed to the bathroom.

When he emerged feeling considerably relieved, the man took a moment to search the small set of rooms for Iruka. He wondered briefly where the other shinobi had gone before spotting a piece of paper set on top of a pile of clothing. He picked it up and glanced at the straight lines of tidy, precise print Iruka wrote with. It was nothing like his own loopy scrawl.

_Kakashi –_

_Some spare clothing for today if you feel like getting dressed. I have some sticky buns on top of the fridge and an extra bento inside it if you're hungry. Drink the tea in the mug on the counter, kettle just needs to be heated up. Fresh towels are in my closet. I'll be back this evening around five._

_ ~Iruka~_

Kakashi set the note aside. He looked down at the pile of clothing and dismissed it for the time being. His stomach growled insistently, sending him into the kitchen to search out the food Iruka had mentioned.

A quarter of an hour later, Kakashi sat at the dining table with a bun and a mug of steaming tea. He sniffed the homemade brew carefully, deciding it had a pleasant odor, before pulling is mask down to sip experimentally. Satisfied, Kakashi munched on his breakfast thoughtfully, re-reading the note Iruka had left him for lack of anything else to do.

"He _is_ a nice guy, isn't he?" he mused aloud, thinking back to the previous night. That had originally been Iruka's reasoning for offering his couch to Kakashi, hadn't it? It was hard to believe someone would want to do things for someone else just because they were a nice person, especially after all the shit that had happened to Kakashi yesterday. Whether or not Iruka really thought this was a payback for a misplaced mission scroll didn't matter to Kakashi. The older nin had already forgiven Iruka for that lapse.

Kakashi washed his plate off and set it on the counter to dry before refilling his mug with hot water. The second cup wouldn't be as flavorful but Kakashi had no idea what Iruka had mixed together to make the concoction and didn't want to even make an attempt to copy it. He left it on the counter to cool and moved back to the table to inspect the uniform Iruka had left.

The jonin lifted the short-sleeved under-shirt and shook it out a couple times. Then, not sure why, he glanced around guiltily before bringing it up to his face and inhaling deeply. It smelled like Iruka. Kakashi tried to ignore the odd feeling the roiled through his belly at the scent and a thought entered his mind unbidden: Tori was a moron for giving this guy up.

With a sigh, Kakashi sorted through the rest of the pile. He nearly dropped the boxers when he realized what he had been holding, staring at the article for a silent stretch. Iruka was certainly practical, he reasoned before pulling them on with a shrug. He felt slightly awkward for wearing the chunin's boxers but it wasn't like they weren't laundered. He told himself it was no different than wearing the man's sweat pants or his flak jacket.

Kakashi peered out the window at the cloudless blue sky and decided to forego the typical long-sleeved shirt Iruka had laid out for him. He put the flak jacket over the short-sleeved one and spent a moment wrapping his pant-legs. The methodical act of dressing was comforting to the Copy-Nin, despite the fact that each article of clothing he put on swathed him in the definite scent of Iruka. If anything, smelling like the generous chunin made Kakashi feel even less crappy than he had yesterday. He didn't spend any time analyzing why.

Once he was satisfied that he had himself more or less in order, Kakashi downed the last of his tea, grabbed the spare key, and slipped his sandals on – they were still a little black from the soot but they weren't horrible. He left the apartment, intent on getting to the tower to order new uniforms.

* * *

Sakura licked absently at her ice cream cone, not really tasting it. Around her, the soda fountain was bustling with activity; shops that served anything cold had been making bank lately with all the warm weather. Sakura didn't notice the crowd, though. Her mind was definitely elsewhere.

The news that Kakashi "played for the other team" as her father would have put it, had come as a complete surprise to the kunoichi. He certainly didn't _act_ like a gay man but Sakura's only exposure to what a homosexual behaved like was from civilian television. She had the feeling that those people were over-exaggerated. Kakashi was eccentric, but flamboyant? Guy acted more like a stereotypical gay man than her sensei did.

Sakura propped her chin in her hand, her elbow braced on the frosted glass of the parlor's table. She stared blankly at her treat as it threatened to melt over her fingers.

'Yasu was a civilian,' she mused silently. And Shinji did something to him – Soto said Yasu had "left" – and the older brother had held onto a ten year grudge for something that no one could help. Sakura had the feeling that Shinji was mentally unbalanced. She sighed and took another couple licks of her cone before the melted bits started to drip.

She was a smart girl but it didn't take a brainiac to realize that her sensei had once had something going on with the mysterious Yasu. Shinji thought Kakashi had "converted" the other man to homosexuality. That implied that Yasu and Kakashi had been in close proximity to one another. Had they merely been friends? Or was it more? Sakura felt a blush creep across her face at the thought that this Yasu man had been her sensei's _lover._

"What in the heck is up with you today?" Ino's voice cut into Sakura's thoughts and she jumped slightly in her chair.

"Huh?" Sakura replied vaguely.

"You've been in a whole other world all day. Are you okay?" Ino took a long drag from the straw sticking out of her milkshake, eyeing Sakura curiously from the other side of the table.

"It's nothing." Sakura forced a smile at her rival before hurriedly finishing her ice cream before it became nothing more than a puddle.

"Uh huh, right." Ino didn't look convinced. She toyed with the straw for a minute before leaning closer. "You look rather down. Finally given up on Sasuke?" The blonde was smiling cattishly and Sakura glared back.

"No," she snapped shortly then popped the last bite of her cone into her mouth, chewing furiously. "I'm just thinking about yesterday." It wasn't exactly a lie but Sakura was _not _going to tell Ino about her sensei. If Ino knew, then the whole town would know by dinner time. Sakura may have been open-minded but she knew a lot of people who considered homosexuality an abomination. She would hate to hurt Kakashi's reputation by being loose-tongued with the wrong people.

Sakura's answer seemed to satisfy Ino. The other girl's expression turned subdued. "Yeah, that was pretty bad. They're holding a memorial tomorrow morning for that family."

Sakura grimaced. She was glad Kakashi had sent her and Sasuke home after the fires had been put out. She hadn't been involved in the search teams and wasn't exposed to the charred remains of those who had not gotten out in time. All told there were twelve dead civilians, five of them from a single family. It was depressing.

"Hey, Forehead," Ino continued, poking Sakura in the center of her brow with a long finger. Her tone had turned mischievous.

Sakura batted the hand away, looking at the other kunoichi with a glower. "What?"

"There's some boy looking at you." Ino's eyes sparkled and she pointed through the crowd with her straw.

Curious despite the hated nickname and the teasing lilt in Ino's voice, Sakura turned her gaze toward the door of the ice cream parlor. A boy about her size stood there, his pale blonde hair pulled back in a low tail. Her eyebrows nearly shot into her hairline as Hekai, of all people, wove his way through the crowd toward her table.

"What have you done to deserve a fanboy?" Ino asked not bothering to hold back a snicker. She eyed the approaching shinobi with a great deal of amusement. "He's kind of young, isn't he? Though I bet he'll be really cute once he grows up a bit."

Sakura was about to claim she didn't know how old he was but she heard Shinji's voice in her brain. That horrible man had told Hekai that the boy hadn't even been born yet when the entire "Yasu" thing had happened. He wouldn't have been any older than ten. He was young for a shinobi, she realized with a start.

As the boy reached them, Sakura was tempted to tell him to shove off. She wasn't exactly pleased with the Hibei clan. Shinji was an asshole and, from what Sakura had seen of Megumi, the sister was a useless lump of a woman. Hekai's nephews - it still boggled her mind that the uncle was the youngest of the group – had cold looks to them. Hekai, though, had seemed so genuinely sorry yesterday that Sakura clamped her mouth shut before she could tell him to go away.

"Uhm, hi, Sakura," he murmured as he stood somewhat awkwardly by their table. He didn't even glance at Ino and Sakura noticed that, despite Ino's ridicule, she was miffed about being ignored.

"Hekai," Sakura replied shortly, eyes narrowed slightly. "What do you want?"

She felt immediately sorry for her tone when the younger ninja flinched and bit his bottom lip firmly between his teeth. He looked around quickly as if afraid someone would overhear them before leaning in closer. "I want to talk to you," he whispered. "Privately, if that's okay."

"Uhm." Sakura looked over at Ino, who was sulking at being utterly left out of whatever was happening. "About what?" she questioned, eyebrows twitching together.

"The bridge," he said bluntly and did not elaborate.

Sakura studied Hekai's face for a long moment before coming to a conclusion. She saw no malice in his eyes. The way he shifted from foot to foot spoke of nerves, as did the way he kept surreptitiously looking around as if he thought he'd be found out at any minute. Her curiosity peaked and, before she really registered what she was doing, Sakura stood from her chair.

"Yeah, okay," she said. She looked down at the shocked Ino. "I'll be back soon," she promised.

"What's all this about?" Ino blurted before Sakura moved more than half a step away. "You're leaving with _him?_"

"Confidential mission information," Hekai responded instantly.

Ino spluttered for a second before turning her nose up and crossing her arms. "Fine, whatever. Go hang out with your new boyfriend, Sakura. More Sasuke for me."

Sakura turned bright red and glared openly at Ino. She opened her mouth to denounce the other girl's accusations but the Hekai interrupted.

"Mature, isn't she?" He asked Sakura, not bothering to lower his voice. "This is really important, though, so can we get going?" Hekai jerked his thumb at the door and Sakura nodded. Her inner self stuck its tongue out at Ino but her outer self merely waved goodbye before following Hekai out of the shop.

They paused under the window's awning, peering up and down the street. Hekai scratched the back of his head self-consciously. "I'm not really familiar with Konoha," he admitted. "We need someplace deserted. I don't think it'll be a good thing if my brother or your sensei sees us together."

The kunoichi definitely couldn't disagree with that and racked her brain to figure out if there was anywhere she knew that would work for a private meeting, someplace not likely to be frequented by Kakashi. The problem with that was she wasn't sure what sorts of places Kakashi visited on a regular basis. Finally, she snapped her fingers as it came to her.

"There's an old classroom at the Academy that no one ever uses anymore," she told him. "It's on the top floor near an old janitor's closet. That would probably work. Kakashi-sensei never goes to the Academy."

"Shinji neither. The last time we went to the Academy was last year and I don't think he intended to visit it." Hekai replied, nodding. "That would probably work, just so long as we don't get overheard."

Sakura checked her watch and smiled. "Classes will be out for lunch right now. The whole place will be practically empty, except for the teachers."

"Great!" Hekai looked around the lane again, frowning. "That's a long walk through town. We might be seen before we even get there. Hey!" The boy grinned suddenly and stuck out his hand towards her. "Hold on, I'll get us there in no time!"

Bemused, Sakura carefully took his hand. She yelped as he yanked her forward, lifting her off the ground with one arm under her knees and the other across her back. He held up the fingers of one hand, somewhat awkwardly, trying very hard not to drop her. Before Sakura had the chance to do anything but gasp, they vanished in a poof of smoke.

* * *

Iruka had moved through his morning lessons easily enough, corralling his seven-year-old students into groups to practice their ability to work in cohesive units. He marked the activity off as a success when only two of the seven groups tried to kill each other with their wooden practice-kunai. When he finally dismissed them for lunch, he was in a pretty good mood.

Sitting alone in his office with his bento, though, Iruka found his mind was no longer occupied by keeping track of twenty-some-odd pre-genin. It started to wander and, before he could stop himself, he thought of Hiro. He stared blankly at his scoop of rice, chopsticks poised but unmoving. Between the missing mission scroll, the fire on Maki Street, and the unexpected house-guest, Iruka had not given himself much time to reflect on the fact that he was no longer attached to someone else. Now that he had a moment of quiet to himself, he couldn't help but replay the break up in his mind.

His temper was notorious for acting before his brain had chance to process information. "Was I too harsh?" he asked softly, putting words to his thoughts. "Did I… did I overreact?"

His rice did not reply.

With a groan, Iruka set his chopsticks aside let his head come down onto the table next to this lunch. He rested his forehead on a stack of papers, squeezing his eyes shut as a dull ache throbbed through his stomach that had nothing to do with hunger. What was he supposed to do now? He had told Hiro pretty firmly that he wanted nothing more to do with him but was that really the truth? Did he really mean everything he had said yesterday?

A small but incredibly insistent part of his mind reared up angrily at the very thought that Iruka's actions had been questionable. 'He lied,' it said bluntly. 'He's known for eighteen years and didn't tell you.' Iruka's stomach gave another uncomfortable clench, a feeling of betrayal washing over him that stiffened his resolve against the other man. Hiro had lied, plain and simple, and then had told Iruka that he fully intended to dishonor the marriage. Iruka barred his teeth. Hiro had already _done _that; he had come back two weeks ago, already married, and went willing into Iruka's bed as if nothing in the world had changed. If Hiro could disregard a wife so offhandedly, what if one day he'd found another man that captured his fancy? If he lied for a year about getting married, how long would he have strung Iruka along before telling him there was another man he had been sleeping with?

The chunin felt slightly sick at the thought and tried to shove it from his mind. He was better off without Hiro. He knew that after how carelessly the man had handled the issue. Plus, there were plenty of other fish in the sea for this dolphin, right? Lifting his head from the desk, Iruka stared miserably at his lunch, no longer feeling much like eating. He may have been angry at the situation, but he still felt incredibly lonely knowing he had abruptly found himself single. Hiro had been his first serious relationship and it _hurt_ to know it was done with.

Iruka pushed his bento away. Feeling he should at least put something into his stomach, though, he pulled his tea mug closer and sipped at it absently. He needed to do something to get his mind off yesterday. Maybe he'd track Naruto down for ramen later. That was usually a pretty good distraction and he really, really needed to catch up with the boy's antics. He missed their chats.

A knock on the door pulled Iruka from his thoughts. Frowning, he checked the clock on the wall. He still had ten minutes before classes were due back. With a shrug, he sat up a little straighter in his chair and called out, "Come on in."

"Iruka-sensei?" Naruto's head poked into the room, looking considerably more subdued than usual. "Can I talk to you?"

Iruka blinked, an odd feeling creeping up his spine at the fact that the person he had just wanted to talk with was suddenly standing in his doorway. He shoved it away and smiled a welcome at the boy. "Sit down," he invited, motioning to a chair set up near the wall. Naruto shuffled in. He closed the door behind him before pulling the chair over so it sat across the desk from Iruka.

Naruto fidgeted for a minute, his expression so serious it made Iruka apprehensive. He seemed to struggle with what he wanted to say before huffing a deep sigh and just staring at the chunin across the desk as if Iruka was supposed to read his mind and come up with an answer to a question that hadn't actually been asked.

"Is something bothering you?" Iruka hedged. It was obvious Naruto was upset about something but Iruka had no idea what it could be. The usually excitable boy looked like someone just knocked over his favorite bowl of ramen.

Naruto drew invisible patterns on the desktop with a finger and nodded. "Iruka-sensei," he started slowly. "I've got a really important question and I want you to be completely honest about it, okay?"

Iruka nodded. "I'm always honest with you," he replied patiently. "Just tell me what's bugging you and I'll do my best to help." He felt a niggling of worry; Naruto never looked so grim.

"Is it okay for guys to like each other?" the blonde finally blurted, not looking up at the instructor.

Iruka's eyebrows rose slightly at the unexpected question. He couldn't be a hundred percent positive but he suspected Naruto just asked him if being _gay _was okay. Why in the world would he be concerned with something like that? Proceeding with a bit of caution, Iruka pressed for clarification. "You mean, is it okay to have male friends?"

"Well, not exactly." Naruto ran his hands through his hair. "I mean, is it okay to _like_ another guy. Like… _like_ like."

Only hours of listening to pre-teens talk made that sentence even remotely understandable to Iruka. "You mean in a romantic sense," he suggested.

Naruto shrugged then nodded. "Yeah, I guess so."

"If you're asking me if being gay is okay, then yes, it is," Iruka replied evenly. He took a long sip of his tea, trying to figure out why Naruto was asking him something like that. It wasn't possible that Naruto _knew _about Iruka's sexual preferences, and if he did Iruka doubted this was how Naruto would go about bringing up the topic. Something else was going on that Iruka didn't understand yet. It couldn't be that Naruto himself was having such thoughts; the boy had been crazy about Sakura since the first day he'd seen her.

"Really?" Naruto blinked a couple times. It was obvious that he was struggling to accept Iruka's answer and the chunin waited patiently for the boy to mull it over. "But… I've heard a lot of people call it unnatural before, and use it like an insult."

"I assure you, there's nothing unnatural about it." Iruka studied his former student's face for a long moment. "In fact, there are many species that will form lasting bonds with other members of the same gender. If animals in the wild do it, how can it be unnatural?"

Naruto stared at Iruka. "Seriously?"

The teacher nodded. "Swans, wolves, dolphins… all sorts of animals besides humans."

The corners of Naruto's mouth turned downward. "If it's supposed to be normal why do people say it isn't?"

Iruka's lips thinned. "Many people are scared of what they do not understand. Just because something is different does not make it bad."

The boy's eyes fixed on a knot on the tabletop as he considered what Iruka told him. His frown was disappearing and he merely looked thoughtful. The chunin took that as a good sign.

"If you don't mind me asking, what brought this up?" Iruka took another swig of his tea. He doubted it had anything to do with people trying to insult the boy by using derogatory terms; Naruto spent most of his life being called nasty things. He was extremely good at letting verbal abuse roll off his back. Maybe he had seen two men kissing or something similar. That wasn't very likely, though. Most of the gay men in Konoha were extremely discreet and did _not_ show public affection for their lover. Ostracization was commonplace for those who did not conform to the heterosexual society.

Naruto sighed and flung himself back in his chair. "Oh, it's just that yesterday this jerk on the bridge called Kakashi-sensei gay and then that guy in the green onesie told us it was true and-"

The genin didn't get a chance to finish that thought as the tea in Iruka's mouth sprayed across the desk and onto the boy's face. Naruto gaped at Iruka as the man hacked and wheezing painfully. Iruka whacked himself on the chest a few times, trying to force air into his lungs after nearly inhaling an entire mouthful of liquid. Eyes watering, he coughed violently a few times before taking a long, ragged breath.

"Iruka-sensei?" Naruto started uncertainly.

"What did you say?" Iruka wiped his mouth off quickly with his napkin then started to dab at the spots all over the desk.

"I thought you said being gay was an okay thing," Naruto accused, his eyes narrowing.

Iruka coughed a couple more times, grimacing at the burning sensation in his lungs. "Eh? What, no. No, it's perfectly normal." The teacher shook his head a few times. "I'm sorry; I just was not expecting to hear that." He reached into his desk and pulled out a box of tissues. He offered some to Naruto and the boy grabbed a handful. While Naruto wiped off his face, Iruka set the box on the edge of the desk and tried to formulate a more intelligent response than what he'd just done. It wouldn't that difficult; almost anything was brighter than "spew your tea on your friend."

"Iruka-sensei," Naruto said, his voice taking on an almost whining quality, "I'm so confused."

Iruka rubbed his forehead just below his protector. He really wished he hadn't reacted the way he had. The poor kid was having a hard enough time wrapping his head around the concept without Iruka over-reacting. He needed to calm down and explain as clearly as he could that there was absolutely nothing wrong with being gay. He would think about the specifics of Naruto's words later.

"Before you found this out," Iruka started slowly, "How did you feel about your sensei?

Naruto chewed on his bottom lip, brows scrunching up in thought. "Well…" Naruto scratched his cheek a few times. "He's kind of annoying," he said honestly. "I mean, he's always late, he makes up the dumbest things – he told us he had problems with _paperwork_ yesterday. I mean, really? How lame is that? And he's always reading when he should be teaching us. But…" Naruto sat back in his chair again, slapping restlessly at the armrests with his palms. "He's kinda cool, though. He tells us when he thinks we're improving and he's a really good ninja."

"So what do you think of him now knowing what you know?" Iruka pressed.

"I don't know," Naruto said, throwing his hands up.

"Think about it this way," Iruka continued. "The day before yesterday, you probably assumed he was straight, right?" Naruto nodded and the instructor continued. "And yesterday you found that he's gay. So, how is he any different today than he was two days ago?"

It felt like they sat there in silence for a very long time while Naruto's brain processed what Iruka had said. Then, an expression of understanding dawned on the boy's face and Iruka felt a tension in his shoulders start to melt away.

"He was gay two days ago," Naruto murmured. "I just didn't know it."

Iruka made a motion with his hand, encouraging Naruto to continue that thought. "And?"

"And that means he's not any different now than he was then." Naruto looked practically pleased with himself for coming to that conclusion.

"Exactly." Iruka coughed a couple more times, the back of his throat irritated from the tea. "Just because you now know doesn't change a single thing about him."

Naruto jumped out of his chair suddenly, fingers entangling into his blonde spikes. "Aw man!" he exclaimed, a look of panic starting to cross his face. Startled, Iruka stood quickly and reached across the table to grasp Naruto by the wrist to prevent the genin from pulling out his hair.

"What?" Iruka asked urgently, surprised by Naruto's odd and abrupt reaction to the revelation.

"I need to find Kakashi-sensei and apologize right now!" Naruto pushed Iruka's hand away and started to look around a little wildly. "I ran off yesterday when I found out and I bet he thinks I hate him now, and he had to deal with that Shinji guy as it was so I bet he's going to be pissed off from that. And I didn't show up to training today, either, so he's going to punish the entire team because of me!"

Iruka raised an eyebrow at the rambling boy, bemused. "Naruto," he murmured gently. "Your team isn't training today, and I'm certain Kakashi-sensei has more important things to worry about right now than whether or not you agree with his sexuality."

It was Naruto's turn to look perplexed. "What? Why?"

It dawned on Iruka that Naruto didn't know about the fire – or he at least didn't realize how it affected his sensei. Slowly, Iruka moved around his desk and put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "You do know there was a fire yesterday, right?"

Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I heard about that today." His expression was contrite. "I feel really bad about not helping but I didn't even know it was going on."

Iruka sighed. "Naruto, Kakashi-sensei's house burnt down in that fire."

Mortification flashed through the boy's eyes. "No!" he exclaimed, his mouth dropping open in disbelief. "Seriously?" His gaze flicked around the room, although what he was looking for Iruka couldn't tell. "Aw man… I _really _need to apologize now. You don't know where he is, do you? He's probably staying with Leotard-sensei-"

"Actually," Iruka interrupted, folding his arms. "He's staying with me right now."

Naruto's brows furrowed. "But you guys aren't friends or anything."

"He needed a place to stay and I have a hide-a-bed," Iruka explained. "We are all ninja of this village and when one is in need, we should step up and help."

"Oh. Right." Naruto quieted for a second before coming to some silent agreement with himself. He nodded his head once and looked back at Iruka, his face determined. "Do you mind if I stop by later today? I want to get him something to apologize."

"You're always welcome at my apartment," Iruka replied with a smile. "Now, I don't mean to kick you out but I have a class starting in just a couple minutes." The instructor pointed at the clock on the wall. "Are you going to be okay?"

He was the recipient of a spontaneous hug before the rambunctious boy raced from the room. "Thanks, Iruka-sensei!" Naruto hollered back as he darted across the classroom, nearly bowling over a group of seven-year-olds trying to enter. Iruka merely shook his head at the younger ninja and moved to the front of the class to prepare for his lesson.

* * *

Sakura tried to flatten her hair to her head while she caught her breath. The trip to the Academy had been interesting. She had never teleported before and the experience was definitely unique. Although she knew that the term "teleport" was really a misnomer, it hadn't prepared her for the vertigo she'd felt the moment Hekai had started to move. The body-flicker technique was disorienting to say the least, and she'd not only been whisked halfway across town to the Academy's courtyard, but the moment she told Hekai where the classroom was, he'd flickered them up the stairs and into the hallway outside the room.

As soon as she managed to get her equilibrium back under her own control, she looked over at the younger boy. He kept stammering apologies, his face beet red. He hadn't meant to make her feel ill by carrying her along with him, but he figured it was the fastest way.

"It's okay," Sakura finally muttered. She eyed him carefully for a moment in the dim interior of the old classroom. There was enough light filtering in through the windows that they could see one another clearly. "How in the world do you know how to do that?"

Hekai started. "My brother taught me?" he offered, a little confused.

"That's a high-level technique," Sakura argued. "It's something _chunin_ aren't usually taught until they have better chakra control, if they can manage it at all. It's too advanced for a genin."

"Oh!" He laughed and waved a hand dismissively. "I'm not a genin."

The kunoichi stared at him. "What?"

"I was promoted to chunin last year," he replied with a touch of smugness, hands on his hips.

Sakura couldn't help but ogle the other shinobi after hearing that. He was almost exactly her height, not even five-foot yet, and fairly scrawny. She noted that with his hair long as it was, he sort of resembled a girl. She doubted he was anywhere _near_ puberty. He certainly didn't _look _like a chunin but he did just flicker them halfway across town. She decided to trust his word.

"Anyway," he continued, suddenly somber. "I didn't bring you here to talk about me. I need your help, Sakura."

The girl frowned. "My help? With what?" What could a genin possibly do to help a chunin?

Hekai sucked his bottom lip between his teeth, biting down lightly. Sakura guessed it was a nervous habit of his; he'd done it at the ice cream shop, too. Finally, with a deep breath, he spoke. "I really need to talk to your sensei. I need you to arrange it because there's no way he'd meet me knowingly."

Sakura straightened in surprise at the request. She gave him a distrusting look, arms akimbo. "And if I say 'no?'" Her analytical brain suspected he was trying to set an ambush up for Shinji – the Hibei clan was Kakashi's enemy and, by association, Sakura considered them her enemy as well. She was definitely not expecting Hekai's response.

The young chunin grimaced and dropped down to his knees, steepling his hands in front of his face. "Please, Sakura?" he begged, his voice holding a tone of desperation she doubted could have been faked.

"Why?" she demanded, although she softened her tone, feeling decidedly uncomfortable at his actions. "Why do you need to talk to him? Hasn't your family done enough?"

Hekai stood and brushed off his knees. His face told her volumes – he was duly embarrassed by his clan and their behavior. "Please don't judge me based on Shinji," he requested. "Or on my nephews." He paused in consideration. "Or based on Megumi, either. Just… how's about we ignore that I'm a Hibei altogether, okay?"

"Fine," Sakura agreed. She still didn't quite trust him but she was willing to listen to his reasons. She didn't have to consent to anything, after all. "Now why do you need to speak to my sensei?"

"I have something I need to give him." Hekai reached his hand into his hip-pouch and pulled out a thick, faded envelope. The corners were crinkled and the sealed flap looked slightly torn, as if the letter had been living in Hekai's pocket for quite some time.

"What's that?" she asked curiously, taking a step closer to the chunin. He drew the envelope tightly against his chest, lips thinning.

"Nothing that you need to be concerned with," he told her tartly, his casual manner suddenly gone. "It's for Kakashi's eyes only."

"Well, if that's all you need, I'll just give it to him." Sakura held her hand out expectantly. "It would be easier than trying to get you and him in the same room."

Hekai's hand tightened on the envelope. "No. I deliver it." His conviction surprised Sakura and she took a second to re-evaluate the boy standing there. A prickling feeling ran up her neck and she hardened her gaze.

"Good luck with that, then." Sakura started to stalk from the room.

"Sakura, wait. Please." Hekai took a step after her, envelope still held tightly to his chest. "This is really important."

The girl paused and turned back to him. His anxiety was clear on his face and Sakura regretted almost storming out. "I can't just set up a meeting between my sensei and a Hibei," she told him firmly. "He'll lose his trust of me, and trust is really important when you're on the same team."

"Please?" he asked again. The envelope crinkled slightly as he clutched it with both hands.

"Why can't you just give it to me and I'll give it to him?" she returned, crossing her arms.

"I can't. I need to be the one to do it." His lip went back between his teeth and he started shifting from foot to foot.

"Well, if you can't give me a good reason why, you're on your own." Sakura spun toward the door again. Her fingertips brushed the handle, about to slide it open, when Hekai's voice cut across empty space between them.

"I have to be the one to hand it to him because that's what Yasu wanted."

Sakura froze. Slowly, she turned her head to stare at him over her shoulder. "What?" she near-whispered.

Hekai struggled internally for a minute, gnawing on his lip so hard Sakura thought he was going to draw blood. Finally, he bowed his head and sighed. "If I tell you, will you help me?" he asked quietly.

For a heartbeat, Sakura didn't move. Her curiosity screamed inside her head to make him tell her about Yasu and about what happened. For some reason, though, when she opened her mouth to say "yes," the word wouldn't come out. Sasuke's voice came unwillingly into her brain, muttering that this wasn't their business and that they should stay out of it. He hadn't objected when Guy told them who Yasu was but something told Sakura that Sasuke would be upset with her if he found out that she kept pressing the issue.

Pursing her lips, the kunoichi shook her head at Hekai. He deflated instantly and Sakura realized he thought she was shaking her head to tell him "no." With a deep breath, she turned back around to face him.

"You don't have to tell me," she told him, although her inner self was trying to raise a stink about it. "But I'll still help you." Sakura was caught off-guard as Hekai suddenly zipped forward and hugged her. She reacted automatically, bringing her fist crashing down on top of his head as if he were Naruto.

Hekai stumbled back, rubbing his head with a hand. He gaped at her and Sakura covered her mouth with her hands. "Hekai! I'm so sorry!"

"I take it you don't like hugs?" he asked, baffled at her response.

"No, it's just… I'm sorry." Sakura stood there awkwardly.

"Man, you've got a wicked slug." Hekai smiled then and shrugged. "Not the worst I've ever been hit but not bad for a genin," he teased.

She turned a deep shade of pink and glared at the boy. "Anyway," she ground out, trying to brush off the comment, "If we're going to get you in the same room as Kakashi-sensei, we've got to first find him."

"Do you know where he lives?" Hekai slipped the envelope back into his hip-pouch. "I could flicker us there."

Sakura paled at the thought of being carried during a teleportation again. "I don't know where he is right now." She refrained from mentioning to Hekai that Kakashi's house burnt down. She didn't think it was important to their current mission.

"Any idea how we can find out? What about that guy in the green suit?"

"Guy-sensei? I don't know where he is, either." Sakura shook her head and bit the end of her thumb while she thought. "Although Naruto did say that Iruka-sensei told him that Guy-sensei trains his team almost to the point of exhaustion every chance they get. If we check all the practice grounds, we might, _might _find him."

"At this point, I'll take the chance of a 'might' over 'not at all,'" he said grimly. "You know where all the training grounds are located?"

Sakura nodded. "All the ones that aren't forbidden to genin level students, yes. They shouldn't be anywhere else unless he took them out on another mission."

"Let's go then! Want to flicker there so we won't be seen?" Hekai reached a hand out toward Sakura and she blanched at the thought.

"No," she said almost too quickly. "The chances of us running into Shinji or Kakashi-sensei out at the training grounds is pretty slim, don't you think?"

Hekai shrugged but didn't argue with her. "Lead on then."

* * *

Kakashi slung his new, standard-issue pack off his shoulder and onto the couch. It bulged slightly with the bundle of stiff, new uniforms he had been given at the tower, as well as the clothing he had bought on his way home. He didn't want to have to keep using Iruka's cloths; it was enough that the other man had offered Kakashi a place to stay until he could get back on his feet.

The first thing the Copy-Nin did when he returned to the apartment was to change out of the spare set Iruka gave him. He didn't like the starchy feeling of the new uniform, nor did he care for the fact that it smelled like fabric and not like Iruka. He refused to acknowledge that he liked the musty, male scent; he merely told himself that the new clothing just smelled too new. A small part of his brain reasoned that if he stayed at Iruka's apartment for a few days, his clothing would start to smell like the other ninja, too. He shoved the thought hastily away, not wanting to think about what it meant.

Once fully changed, Kakashi looked down at the pile of Iruka's clothing, wondering what to do with it. He didn't see a hamper in the bathroom and there obviously wasn't one out in the main room. That meant it had to be in the bedroom. With a shrug, Kakashi slipped into the room and deposited the pile on top of the almost over-flowing laundry bin.

About to leave the room, he paused and glanced around. The urge to snoop was strong and, after a moment's indecision, Kakashi moved toward Iruka's closet. He told himself that he was merely trying to find out more about the younger man, passing off his prying as a sort of reconnaissance. He was a ninja; it was his business to gather information.

Iruka's bedroom closet held his last couple clean uniforms, a built-in organizer shelf stocked with towels, spare sheets, and extra blankets, and civilian clothing. Curious, Kakashi pawed through the pairs of jeans, slacks, and sweatpants hanging there. He came across the hooded sweatshirt Iruka had been wearing at the memorial stone and fingered the thick cotton sleeve absently. He saw nothing else of note there and moved on.

The chest of drawers yielded about the same results: some undershirts, his boxers, civilian t-shirts… nothing out of the ordinary. Kakashi closed the underwear drawer carefully before turning his eye to the nightstand that held Iruka's alarm clock. He pulled the drawer open and peered inside. It looked pretty innocuous: an extra hitai-ate, cough drops, and a book. Kakashi picked up the novel and glanced at the title. He didn't recognize it and read the blurb on the back. He raised an eyebrow: it a murder mystery. Kakashi replaced it carefully in the drawer exactly where it had been before moving to the other side of the bed to check the second nightstand.

Kakashi's eyebrows rose considerably higher at the contents of the second drawer: condoms, a couple of small bottles, and a roll of tissue paper obviously meant for the necessary cleanup. He stopped his hand before he reached in, deciding that he really shouldn't be handling what was obviously lube. He couldn't stop himself, though, from picking up a different bottle and turning it over carefully in his fingers. It was a spray of some sort if the nozzle was any indication. He didn't recognize the name of the product – something merely called "Ease" – and he wondered if it was some sort of cologne spray. He didn't dare sprits any, though, in case it left the room smelling like a beauty-shop. That would have been a dead giveaway that he'd been in the drawer with the sex paraphernalia. He looked at the bottle again, perplexed. Maybe it was an aerial aphrodisiac? Did they make that sort of thing? Pursing his lips, Kakashi set the bottle down very carefully in its spot and closed the drawer.

As he glanced under the bed, Kakashi's mind kept going back to that drawer. According to the conversation he'd overheard, Iruka and Tori had been involved for about a year. Kakashi could only imagine that they'd had an active sex-life. He wondered what role the instructor had played but shoved that thought violently away. It was highly inappropriate to be pondering those sorts of things of a man that Kakashi hardly knew. He ignored the part of his mind that pointed out the inappropriateness of pawing through the sensei's bedroom as if he'd had all the right in the world.

Satisfied that there really was nothing else of interest in the bedroom, Kakashi left it as he had found it and slipped back into the main room. He explored the kitchen, marveling at just how much stuff Iruka was able to fit into such a small area. The man's ability to organize was pretty impressive. The cupboards that served as the man's pantry were well stocked and Kakashi's mind started to catalogue the ingredients as he went. Almost unconsciously, he started gathering items together on the counter.

* * *

Sakura and Hekai plodded through town, both looking fairly dejected. They hadn't been able to find Guy at any of the genin-level training grounds. Sakura suspected that the green-clad jonin had actually given his team the day off, for whatever reason. Maybe it had something to do with the fire but she really didn't know.

She also didn't know, she realized with a bit of irritation, if her team was going to resume their training schedule the next day. She was about to tell Hekai to just meet her at the bridge the next morning where Team Seven usually congregated to wait for Kakashi, when a voice cut across the road, stopping her in her tracks.

"_Sakura!"_

She looked up to see Naruto storming toward her, a potted plant held firmly between his hands. He looked livid and it took a moment before Sakura realized it must have been because she was walking next to Hekai. Naruto was not a very observant guy and she bet he hadn't noticed how Hekai hadn't been happy with Shinji on the bridge the previous day.

"What do you want?" she asked stiffly as Naruto stopped in front of them.

He shifted the plant to his hip, holding it there with one hand. He pointed the other directly in Hekai's face, teeth bared. "What the hell is this?" he demanded.

Sakura batted Naruto's hand away crossly. "Knock it off," she hissed.

"That's one of those damn Hibei," Naruto retorted, glaring openly at Hekai. The younger boy attempted to smile but Sakura could tell it was forced.

"For all intents and purposes, we're ignoring that," Sakura said sourly, hands moving to her hips.

"What?" Naruto screwed his face up, confused.

Sakura let out a long-suffered sigh. "See what I have to deal with?" she asked Hekai before returning her attention to Naruto. "He's on our side," she told him firmly. "Well, on _my _side anyway since you made a right ass of yourself yesterday."

To her surprise, Naruto's shoulders slumped slightly. He looked incredibly ashamed as he gripped the plant firmly between both hands again. "I know," he murmured. "I was a real jerk. Kakashi-sensei didn't need that. And then I heard about his house and I feel even worse."

"His house?" Hekai's brows furrowed.

"I didn't tell you earlier because it didn't seem that important," Sakura explained softly to the younger ninja. "That fire yesterday burned down his apartment building. That's why I have no idea where he is."

"Why do you need to know?" Naruto questioned. His gaze was suspicious as he sized up Hekai.

Hekai pulled out the letter from his hip pouch, his bottom lip between his teeth again.

Sakura lowered her voice to just barely over a whisper. "It's from _Yasu_."

"Holy shit." Naruto's eyes widened.

"Like I said, he's on our side," Sakura repeated.

Naruto's lips thinned as his eyes turned downward. He gazed at the plant as if expecting it to reveal something important. Then, with a determined set to his features, Naruto glanced between Sakura and Hekai. "I know where he's staying," he said. "If you promise that you're not out to hurt him even more, I'll take you with me." He jostled the plant slightly. "I was just on my way to deliver this, anyway."

"A plant?" Sakura asked incredulously, although inwardly she felt incredibly grateful for Naruto's decision.

"Kakashi-sensei has nothing now, right?" Naruto replied somberly. "This is one of my favorites. It's not a bunch of cookies, but maybe it'll help, yeah?"

Sakura eyed the leafy plant, noting how healthy it looked. Naruto must have lavished nourishment on it for the shrub to thrive as much as it did. She wasn't sure if Kakashi liked foliage but something told her that Naruto's thought would be appreciated, even if their sensei's thumb wasn't very green.

"Anyway," Naruto continued, turning his sharp eyes to Hekai. "What do you say? You gonna promise?"

The younger ninja gnawed on his bottom lip, looking at the letter in his hands. "I honestly don't know what's in here," he murmured. "But Yasu told me it was important that Kakashi read it if I ever found him. I can't promise it won't hurt him but… I don't think my brother had a mean bone in his body."

"Had?" Sakura's brows twitched.

Hekai didn't look at her, fixing his eyes on Naruto. "I promise that I have no intention of hurting your sensei."

"Good. 'Cause if you did, I'd have to kick your ass." Naruto hefted his plant in his arms, getting a better grip on the pot. "Come on, he's staying at Iruka-sensei's apartment." Without waiting to see if they were following, Naruto took off down the street, the plant's stalks swaying and bouncing with the youth's quick pace. Hekai hurried to match Naruto's steps while Sakura brought up the rear.

'Had?' her mind repeated, a sinking feeling setting itself in the pit of her stomach. She did not like the way Hekai used the past-tense and she felt a little more apprehensive about helping the Hibei boy. It was too late to go back now, though, and she hastened her steps, not wanting to be left behind by the boys.

* * *

Iruka opened his apartment door and was hit immediately with the most unexpected smell. The delicious scent wafted around the small main room and the instructor immediately gawked at his kitchen. Kakashi was nowhere in sight.

Kicking off his sandals at the door, he dropped his satchel onto the floor and wandered into the open space. There was a pot on the stove, the lid firmly in place. Carefully, Iruka lifted the lid and sniffed at the soupy contents. It smelled amazing and he had to swallow quickly a few times as his mouth started to water profusely.

"Welcome back," Kakashi's voice greeted as the bathroom door clicked closed. Iruka glanced over; Kakashi had changed back into the longue-wear Iruka had lent him the previous night, his hair damp from a shower. His mask was still conspicuously in place, though.

"You made dinner?" Iruka asked, not bothering to hide his confusion. He set the lid back onto the pot as his stomach growled suddenly, reminding Iruka that he'd skipped lunch.

"I'll replace the ingredients," Kakashi promised. His one eye looked a little apprehensive and Iruka realized the other man must be second guessing if cooking had been a good idea. Iruka gave him a wide smile.

"It smells great," the instructor told him. "I'm starving."

"It'll be done in about ten minutes if you can wait." Kakashi moved to the pot and took the lid off, stirring it with a wooden spoon that had been resting on the counter. "I wasn't expecting you quite yet."

Iruka opened the cupboard containing bowls, grabbing a couple down. "Unlike you," he said dryly over his shoulder, "when I say I'll be somewhere at a certain time, I make a point of showing up."

"I always show up," Kakashi retorted, tapping the spoon on the edge of the pot before replacing the lid. He pointed the spoon at Iruka, his tone teasing. "I just arrive fashionably late."

The instructor snorted and shook his head. "Well, if this isn't done yet, I'm going to shower. Did you leave any hot water?" Kakashi nodded and waved the spoon dismissively at Iruka before putting it back on the countertop.

The younger nin took a second to grab some clean, if a bit raggy, lounge clothing from his bedroom before disappearing into the bathroom. The room smelled strongly of shampoo and Iruka found it a little odd to be stepping into an already-wet shower. Since Hiro never stayed over, he'd never used Iruka's shower. The chunin shoved thoughts of that man from his mind with a dark glower. He was not about to start dwelling on _him_. He'd promised himself he was done with that chapter of his life; it was time to move on. Iruka wasn't sure how well he would manage to do that in practice, but the theory was sound, anyway.

Lathering up his luffa, Iruka let the water run over him. He'd never broken up with anyone quite like that before. When he was just a kid, he'd had girlfriends at the Academy. They'd never lasted more than a few days, though, when they'd realized he wasn't interested in listening to them ramble about "girl-things." Naturally, that was before he'd made the realization that he didn't care much about girls, period. That had come later.

Breaking up with a non-serious girlfriend was a lot different than giving Hiro the boot, though. Iruka had managed not to cry about it, excepting that initial moment when Hiro had stormed out of the room. He was pretty proud of himself for not dissolving into tears then slightly mortified that he hadn't felt much like crying since that moment. He had to wonder if that meant he really wasn't that broken up about the entire situation. Was Hiro really so easy to dismiss? Was there something _wrong_ with Iruka that kept him from feeling that pang of sadness he was supposed to be feeling at ending a relationship? He thought that perhaps he was still in shock and he'd feel the effects later. Only time would really tell, he realized. For then, he decided he would just continue on with his life as per usual.

Iruka finished his shower quickly as his stomach rumbled insistently. He toweled off and dressed rapidly, the thought of that soup rushing his steps. He was still rubbing vigorously at his hair as he walked out of the bathroom. The smell of dinner was almost overwhelming. He paused at the sight of Kakashi ladling soup into the bowls. He amended his previous thought; it would be difficult to return to his usual routine with a house guest. He'd just have to settle for somewhat-usual.

Iruka tossed his towel into his bedroom before moving toward the dining table as Kakashi carried over the bowls. He sat down, staring at the other food that had materialized on the table while he'd been in the shower. Kakashi had made rice, steamed some mixed vegetables, and grilled up some squid Iruka forgot he'd had in the freezer.

"You didn't have to go through all this trouble," the younger man blurted as Kakashi sat down himself.

"You didn't have to offer me a place to stay," Kakashi returned evenly, picking up his chopsticks. He snagged a piece of squid, studying it as if trying to decide whether or not he wanted to eat it. "Consider this a 'thank you.'"

Iruka shrugged and turned his eyes to his soup, bringing a spoonful to his lips, blowing on it lightly before taking a taste. It tasted as good as it smelled, although Iruka couldn't place what type of soup it was. It was slightly red and spicy, and when Iruka poked around at the contents, he saw it contained shrimp as well as vegetables. He eagerly took another spoonful of the broth, glancing up at Kakashi as he did so.

His breath sucked in so sharply that he nearly spit the soup out all over the table. He choked it down quickly, eyes watering. His throat already hurt from inhaling his tea earlier that day and now it burned anew from the spices of the soup. He really needed to stop breathing liquids.

"You don't have to eat it if you don't like it," Kakashi murmured uneasily, eyeing the instructor. His lips were downturned as he offered Iruka napkin. Iruka merely stared at those lips, his mouth slightly open. "What?"

"Mouth," the teacher gasped out unintelligibly, taking the napkin. He coughed into it a couple times then wiped his eyes on the paper square. "You're..." Iruka cleared his throat experimentally. He was only slightly raspy. "You're not wearing your mask."

Kakashi's visible eyebrow quirked. He tugged at the cloth pooled around his neck. "Am too."

Iruka stared openly as Kakashi popped another slice of squid into his mouth. "That's… not what I meant," Iruka replied as clearly as he could. His stomach growled, reminding him of the delicious bowl of soup being forgotten in front of him. "And the soup's very good," he added, taking another spoonful.

Kakashi made no reply to anything Iruka said and the younger ninja was sorry he hadn't been able to contain his reaction to the blatant disregard Kakashi had given to removing the mask. As unobtrusively as he could while he ate, Iruka studied the now-visible face. He had to wonder why in the world Kakashi hid it away. He had an angular jaw, a straight nose; he was pretty normal looking. Handsome, even, if Iruka allowed himself to be truthful. The scar that poked out below the hitai-ate stretched to just below his cheekbone but Iruka saw no other obvious blemishes marring the pale skin.

"Keep looking at me like that and I'm bound to start blushing," Kakashi murmured lazily and Iruka started. Color sprung onto the chunin's face at being caught. He started to stammer an apology but Kakashi cut him off with a wave of his chopsticks. "It really isn't that big of a deal."

Iruka chewed slowly on a shrimp, his eyes drinking in the face across the table now that he was essentially given permission to look. "The kids have never seen it," he murmured between bites. "Naruto makes such a big deal over it."

Kakashi paused in his eating, his dark eye flicking up to look at Iruka. "Disappointed?" he asked dryly.

"Just confused," Iruka admitted. He looked down at his dinner then forced himself to look back up at the other man. "If Naruto can be believed, you adamantly refuse to remove it in front of anyone and, well, here we are." Iruka motioned toward Kakashi's face.

Kakashi smirked then, his mouth twisting into a lopsided sort of grin. Iruka ignored the twinge in his belly at how surprisingly cute the expression was. "It drives them crazy not knowing," Kakashi admitted. "It's cheap entertainment watching them try to worm their way past the mask."

"That's all there is to it?" Iruka asked before he could stop himself.

"Now-a-days, essentially." Kakashi shrugged and started eating again as if nothing major had happened. He added as an afterthought, "Although you've been very nice to me so…" his sentence faded off as he popped a carrot slice into his mouth.

"It just doesn't make much sense," Iruka continued, although he started in on his dinner again. "You spend all that energy to prevent three genin from seeing what you look like and then you drop your mask here. I suppose I don't see why you wear it at all. You're quite attractive."

Kakashi's jaw paused mid-chew. His eye settled on Iruka's face but remained unreadable. The younger man stared back. He could feel his face starting to heat up as it dawned on him what he'd said. "Uhm," he started awkwardly. Naruto's words from earlier ran through his head and Iruka wondered if part of the reason he'd felt bold enough to say what he had was because he actually _knew _which direction Kakashi leaned. A surprisingly daring part of him debated whether he should just come out with it and tell Kakashi that he, too, was gay. He wasn't sure if it would alleviate the uncomfortable silence that was starting to permeate the room. Iruka chanced a glance up; Kakashi was still surveying him with that same bland expression.

Iruka opened his mouth to speak further, steeling himself in order to tell Kakashi about the conversation with Naruto, when there was a knock on the door. Both men turned to look toward it and Kakashi pulled the mask over his face quickly. Iruka stood and padded over, initially curious who it could be. Naruto had mentioned stopping by, but the boy never knocked. Iruka opened the door and gazed out, surprised when he saw not only Naruto, but Sakura and another boy that he didn't recognize.

"Hey, Iruka-sensei," Naruto greeted. The boy craned his neck around to try and see past the instructor. "Is, uhm, is he here?"

"Yes, come on in kids. Who's your friend?" Iruka stepped aside to allow the three into the room. The moment Hekai came into view, there was a clatter from the table. Startled, Iruka looked over to see Kakashi standing, his chair knocked over from the motion. "Wha-"

"What's he doing here?" Kakashi snarled, stunning the others with the vehemence in his voice. His eye was narrowed dangerously at Hekai and the way his fingers twitched, Iruka suspected he wished he'd had a weapon.

"Kakashi!" Iruka managed to gasp out. "Calm down, it's just a boy." Iruka could see nothing dangerous about the skinny pre-teen that stood uncertainly beside Sakura and Naruto.

"Sensei," Sakura added quickly, "Hekai's not an enemy. He's here because he has something for you."

"I don't want anything a Hibei wants to give me," the pale shinobi snapped. His baleful eye landed on Sakura. "Why would you bring him here?"

"Please," Hekai interrupted, not letting Sakura answer that question. He pulled the envelope from his pouch, holding it forward. "I've been entrusted to see that this found you one day."

Kakashi made no move to take the offered envelope, glaring at the group of young ninja. Iruka glanced between Hekai and Kakashi, utterly lost as to what was going on. The name Hibei was familiar and Iruka realized that it was the surname of the person Naruto had asked about a couple days ago. Hekai must have been a relative. Iruka's stomach sunk at the expression in Kakashi's visible eye. Apparently whatever digging Naruto and Sakura had done, the result was not a good one.

"Please," Hekai said again, his expression sincere. "Yasu wanted you to have this."

The room fell still. Iruka's eyes flicked between the others. He felt incredibly out of place, having the least amount of information on the drama unfolding. He wanted to slink away but he didn't dare move.

Finally, Kakashi spoke. His voice was barely audible and his eye had become unreadable once more. "If he wanted me to have it, why didn't he bring it himself?"

Hekai shifted his stance slightly, as if bracing himself. His face was solemn as he met the dark gray gaze of the older ninja. "I'm sorry," he murmured, his voice so genuinely apologetic that it left no mistake how he felt, "but Yasu passed away last year." The young Hibei held out the letter again, fixing his eyes on the ground as he bowed his head.

Iruka could have cut the air with a knife. He watched, transfixed, as Kakashi's hand slowly extended to take the envelope from the boy. He made no outward sign that the news had affected him as he examined the packet in his hands. Then, his eye flicked between the three children.

"Please leave now," he said firmly, voice hardly above a whisper.

Hekai bowed at the waist and immediately retreated from the apartment. Sakura looked indecisive before following him. Naruto remained stubbornly where he was for a minute, plant held tightly between his hands. He exchanged a mulish stare with Kakashi before setting the plant down on the ground at his feet.

"I don't care how you are," Naruto blurted. "I'm sorry for how I acted. You'd better take good care of Mr. Ukki, though, because if he's all withered the next time I visit, I'll kick your butt, gay or not!" Naruto pointed a finger at Kakashi and then bolted from the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

Neither adult moved at first when the children had left. Slowly, Kakashi turned his blank eye to Iruka. They stared at each other silently and Iruka could only guess what was going through the jonin's mind. He was incredibly good at hiding his emotions when he wanted to and there was nothing written on the tiny stretch of face Iruka could see.

Not sure what else to do, Iruka walked a few paces forward and bent down to pick up the houseplant. Without looking at Kakashi, he moved into the kitchen and set it next to the sink. Methodically, he turned on the taps, grabbed the spray nozzle, and gave the dirt a good soaking. When he turned back around, Kakashi had found his way to the couch, the envelope still unopened in his hands. Questions zipped around Iruka's mind but he said nothing. He debated disappearing into his bedroom but something kept him from leaving the room. He really didn't want to leave Kakashi alone unless the other man asked him to.

Still feeling incredibly awkward, Iruka started to put away the leftovers. He filled the sink with suds and set the dishes to soak, then used some of the hot water to wet a cloth in order to wipe down the counters. He didn't really need to do that last part; Kakashi seemed to be a pretty tidy chef, but Iruka needed to do something to keep himself busy. Finally, when he'd run out of things to do, he turned to regard Kakashi. The older man had yet to move.

Finally, knowing his conscience wouldn't let him just leave Kakashi there to wallow in whatever it was he was feeling, Iruka moved across the small space to the couch. He sat quietly on the opposite end and leaned against the armrest.

"You know," Iruka spoke softly, "I'm considered a good listener if you need to talk."

Kakashi shook his head slowly and fingered the envelope. Iruka watched him from behind half-closed eyelids. They sat there silently for a minute before Iruka sighed and stood up. "Well, then. I guess I'll head for bed." The chunin wasn't exactly tired and it was still incredibly early in the evening, but he could always just read a book in bed, giving Kakashi whatever space the older man needed. As he walked by Kakashi, however, a hand shot out and snagged the hem of Iruka's shirt, preventing him from moving more than a step from the couch.

Kakashi didn't speak but Iruka slid back onto the couch as the older nin released him. Without looking at the chunin, Kakashi slid his fingers under the flap of the envelope and slowly tore it open. He pulled out a sheaf of folded papers and, setting the envelope aside, he carefully flattened the sheets. The gray eye started to slide across the words as Iruka remained motionless on the couch next to him.

He wasn't certain how long they sat there while Kakashi read. Each page was set onto the armrest next to the Copy-Nin as he got to the bottom. Although nothing showed in Kakashi's eye, Iruka could see the tension in the other man's shoulders. He wanted to ask him what was going on, who Yasu had been, why he'd had such a violent reaction to the Hibei boy but he just couldn't bring himself to interrupt. The questions really weren't appropriate, either, considering the two ninja weren't exactly friends.

At least, Iruka didn't think they were friends. Until recently, they hadn't spent more time together than it took to exchange mission scrolls. They had been acquaintances, fellow shinobi who only conversed when it meant furthering the well being of their shared village. Lately, though, it had expanded slightly beyond that, hadn't it? Ever since that night at the memorial stone, Iruka felt more at ease around the famous Copy Nin. They had shared something then, admitting stories of their failings as children, that perhaps brought them further away from acquaintances and closer to… Iruka wouldn't call it _friendship_ but maybe closer to "somewhat less than friends." Kakashi wasn't exactly someone Iruka would normally gravitate towards, after all.

He was lazy, Iruka reflected as he studied Kakashi's profile. He looked perpetually bored, ignored just about everyone around him, and kept to himself to the point where the only person who probably knew a thing about the eccentric jonin was an equally unconventional elite nin who chose to wear spandex and had hair shinier than was natural. Kakashi came off as cold and uncaring. Most people had the impression that if they tried to talk to him, they were causing him some huge inconvenience. He was untouchable and, as Guy often put it, too hip to be real.

Iruka shifted on his cushion, a frown tugging at the corners of his lips. Kakashi was supposedly aloof and unapproachable, and yet he had playfully stolen the school teacher's papers at the park, behaving like one of Iruka's pre-teen students to keep them out of Iruka's grasp. He shared his cookies at the memorial and told Iruka a story from his youth. At the time Iruka hadn't thought much about it but he had the suspicion now that it was an attempt to cheer him up. Even just that evening Kakashi had cooked dinner – a complex, tasty dinner, nonetheless - in thanks for Iruka offering him a place to stay.

The frown turned suddenly into a small smile. And Iruka had seen his face. Kakashi claimed he didn't show his students because he enjoyed their pitiful attempts to de-mask him. Iruka wasn't sure he believed that; how many ninja higher ranking than Iruka gossiped about the face behind the mask? Unless they were all really good liars, it was a sight not many were privileged to see. So why had he dropped it in front of Iruka?

There was a shuffling on the other end of the couch, snapping Iruka out of his reverie. Kakashi stood, the letter refolded and stuffed back into its envelope. Without a word he walked over to his new pack and pulled out the metal box he'd been carrying the previous day. He pried it open, set the letter inside, then resealed the tin and put it back. Then, just as mutely, he turned and walked across the room, slipped his sandals on, and left the apartment.


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: **Hola.

**Warnings: **Mild fluff? Do I really need to forewarn against something like that? We're nine chapters in, people. If you're afraid of a little bit of man-love, how the fuck have you made it this far? Oh, and language warning, of course…

**Notes: **I had a wonderful trip and did get some writing done on the airplane (in a notebook). It may or may not be unfortunate that some of that writing was on a different story that popped into my mind while I was away. So… I know what I'm writing when I'm done with "Gifts" unless you guys want me to duel-story this bitch. If you do, that's fine. I'll write both with an alternating update schedule (one chapter of one, then a chapter of the other, back and forth) until one or the other is complete.

**Additional: **Story-time, people! For those who I didn't talk to about this (which would be most everyone except for CB) the reason I was gone was that my grandmother turned 80 and my aunt planned a huge 100+ person shindig for her. We set up long lines of tables for seating and, instead of purchasing tablecloths, we rolled out white butcher paper along the entire length of each line, taping it to the tables. Then we put out bins of fatty crayons periodically along the length so that each stretch of table had access to doodle material. After dinner and before the dedication speeches, my cousin told her husband that I could draw people in "that Japanese style animation stuff" and asked me to doodle something. Put on the spot, I quickly drew two shinobi with crayons: Hekai and Koori (whom you haven't met yet) at ages 14 and 16, respectively. Their outfits are from memory as I had no reference (and after getting back I hit myself for the bits I forgot) but if anyone is interested, I'm sure I can post it up somewhere. There's a couple of random scribbles over the top of them as my 2-year-old nephew wanted to help… but considering I did it in crayon without the ability to erase, I'm pretty proud of myself. I cut the paper off the table and kept it, which made my mom happy because she thought I'd left it and said, "Oh, honey… your drawings!" and started lamenting the loss of my crappy crayon art.

* * *

**Chapter Nine: In Which Guy Issues a Challenge and Everyone Needs a Bath**

Kakashi didn't stop walking until his feet reached the memorial stone. He didn't notice the peculiar stares from townsfolk along the way; he was far too wrapped up in his own mind. If he had noticed the gawking, he might have realized how ridiculous he looked dressed in Iruka's old, gray sweatpants and a t-shirt with "Ramen God" blazoned across the front in tacky orange letters. Considering what he'd just read, though, Kakashi wouldn't have given a damn if he'd walked the entire way to the stone naked. He had more important things to think about than whether or not his outward appearance matched his reputation.

When the familiar, smooth stone came into his plane of vision, Kakashi slouched down to the ground. He drew one of his knees up toward his chest, resting his arm on top. He stared blankly at the epitaph while he attempted to sort through his thoughts.

Yasu was dead.

He blinked slowly at the names on the stone, picking out his old team. Unlike those familiar names, the Hibei would never appear there with Kakashi's other ghosts. Yasu had been a civilian and he hadn't died a hero's death. Kakashi rubbed his visible eye with the heel of his palm, shaking his head. He wasn't sure how he should feel about the sudden influx of information he'd been given. He needed to order it somehow, organize it into understandable fragments so he could see the whole picture and figure out what to do about it.

"Where do I start?" he murmured to the names on the memorial. He closed his eye and sighed. Yasu was dead. That was a pretty good start, he had to admit. He was dead but before he'd died, he'd put his pen to that paper. The letter was the next logical item to deal with, then.

It had been long, most likely written over the course of many days. Most of it had been pretty standard and cliché letter material; he hoped Kakashi had been well and that he'd been keeping busy. He had wanted to let Kakashi know he was doing alright, if Kakashi cared to know. He'd traveled south into the peninsula, setting himself up there as best he could with the limited resources he'd managed to take with him. The first half of the letter was essentially idle conversation and Kakashi initially felt angry that, after all those years, that's all Yasu had managed to say.

Then Kakashi had gotten to the latter part of the letter. Yasu spoke of Hekai finding him – the Copy-Nin would speak with the lad later to get some clarifications as Yasu hadn't elaborated on how in the world a nine-year-old ninja had found him when Hekai hadn't even been born when Yasu left – and of the wasting sickness that had swept through the province he lived in. Kakashi could tell that Yasu was attempting to finish the letter while incredibly ill. The handwriting had degraded consistently throughout and the thoughts were more scattered. The entire thing was steeped in the regret Yasu wrote at the end: he'd wished he had contacted Kakashi sooner.

Kakashi expelled a harsh breath. Now it was too late and he was dead, just another ghost to add to Kakashi's growing list of precious deceased who he'd talk to when he was lonely. He was disappointed to know that Yasu hadn't lived to see thirty but something in him was pleased to know that, even on his death bed, the other man had been thinking of him. For many years, Kakashi had assumed that Yasu had forgotten him, or worse: that he held a grudge, hating him for essentially ruining his life. Yasu's letter had asked Kakashi to forgive _him_ for any grief the ninja had suffered due to their circumstances. Kakashi wished he could tell Yasu that there was never anything to forgive; neither of them was to blame for what happened. They had been young and far too careless. If anyone was at fault, it was Shinji.

Kakashi curled his fingers into fists, squeezing so hard that he could feel his nails biting into his palms. Shinji was another problem he might be dealing with if the man was in town for any length of time. The bigot had a tendency for running his mouth, especially if he'd had a few drinks. If he started blabbering to Konoha shinobi about "that faggot Kakashi" some questions would be raised. Very few of his colleagues knew of his sexuality and most of the ones that had known were dead. Kakashi realized dully that he had to add Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura to the list of those in-the-know now. He wasn't sure how he should feel about that, but at least they all seemed to be on his side.

The Copy-Nin straightened his back slightly, eye widening as he stared at the stone. Naruto and his big mouth were just as much of a threat as Shinji. Didn't the boy just announce it in that apartment? With a groan, Kakashi added Iruka to the list of people aware that he was gay. At least Iruka would be discreet with that information, being of the same preferences.

Thinking of Iruka brought up another point Kakashi needed to deal with. What in the world was he going to do about the budding attraction he'd been feeling lately for the kind Academy chunin? Kakashi would have been a fool to not know that's what had been happening to him. He was doing his best to ignore the fact that every time he saw the younger man, a little curl of pleasure swirled around in his belly. He'd almost managed to shove all non-platonic thoughts of Iruka from his mind until the younger man had blatantly told him that evening that he found him good-looking.

Kakashi dug his palm into his eye again, agitated. Iruka was going to be a problem for him if the chunin kept saying things like that. The jonin would need to start distancing himself from the instructor lest he do something stupid like admit his own attraction. Kakashi had learned a long time ago that maintaining meaningful relationships wasn't worth the effort in his line of work. After his connection with Yasu blew up in his face, Kakashi hadn't bothered to try to find someone else to love. His life was full of one-night-stands and back-alley fucks just to fulfill the physical need of being with someone. He had long ago given up on any semblance of wanting the emotional counterpart. So why now, of all times, was he starting to think about it again?

The sound of feet shifting over grass brought Kakashi from his thoughts. He looked over his shoulder quickly, wondering who else had come to visit the dead. He froze when he saw the familiar tanned and scarred face of Iruka. Without pausing or even saying hello, the younger man sat cross-legged on the ground next to the Copy-Nin, close enough to touch if he'd wanted to, but far enough away to not be intrusive. He said nothing and didn't even look at Kakashi but instead stared mutely at the memorial. Then, as the silence started to stretch uncomfortably thin, Iruka spoke.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he murmured, his eyes still locked on the stone.

Kakashi turned his own gaze to the memorial, lips thin behind his mask. "I didn't lose anything that wasn't already gone," he replied quietly.

"Even so." Iruka toyed with a blade of grass in front of his legs. With his head bowed, a cascade of loose brown obscured his features. He apparently hadn't bothered to change before following Kakashi out of the apartment and that included neglecting to tie up his hair. Kakashi realized with an internal jerk that he'd never actually seen the chunin with his hair down before. How had he not noticed at dinner? Between the sweatpants and the lack of his forehead protector, Iruka looked like a civilian.

"It can't be easy to hear the news that an old friend has passed on," Iruka continued. His fingers kept moving over the grass, plucking the blades from the ground. "I know that people tend to die in our profession but that doesn't make it any less difficult to hear it when it's someone you know."

Kakashi started to shrug but the movement was half-hearted. He watched Iruka shred the grass for a minute, thinking on what the chunin had said back at the apartment. He was supposed to be a good listener but did Kakashi really want to open up and talk about things that didn't concern the younger man? His life had always been so private; he never shared stories about himself with others. Kakashi's eyes fell on the names of Iruka's parents engraved on the stone and he remembered the last time he and Iruka had been at the memorial together. He'd told Iruka story about himself then, hadn't he?

Slowly, not certain if he really agreed with the idea of opening up, Kakashi wet his lips with the tip of his tongue. "I haven't seen him in ten years," he muttered. "And yet it still… hurts to know he's dead."

If Iruka noticed Kakashi stumble over the words, he didn't show it. The dark-haired man nodded a few times in understanding. "There's nothing wrong with feeling the loss," Iruka replied gently.

"After ten years, though?" Kakashi sighed and pushed his hitai-ate up in order to rub at the other eye; it was itching terribly and Kakashi feared it was trying to cry. He couldn't always control what the damn Uchiha eye did.

"You two must have been close." Iruka finally gave up on his growing pile of grass shreddings. He leaned back on his palms, letting his hair fall over his shoulders and out of his face. He gazed up at the orangey-pink sky.

The older nin watched Iruka carefully. He pushed his protector back down and hugged his knee a little closer to his chest. "You heard what Naruto said; I would imagine you're smart enough to figure it out."

Iruka's eyes slid sideways to regard Kakashi through his lashes. "Naruto actually told me earlier today," he admitted. "He came in quite flustered, asking me to tell him everything was okay. I've known since lunch. Not about Yasu, though," he added as an afterthought. He didn't press the issue though and Kakashi felt a pang of gratitude that Iruka was not the nosy sort. He seemed perfectly content to wait for information to be handed to him and not pry into what wasn't his business. It wasn't the best trait for a ninja, Kakashi reflected, but it was a good trait for a person.

"I overheard your conversation with Tori," the jonin blurted before the he realized what he was saying. He wasn't sure why it came out but he tended to say things around Iruka that he would normally have kept to himself. The other shinobi had shown him such kindness lately and Kakashi felt a little guilty about hiding that particular secret.

Iruka was holding very still, his eyes trained on the older man's face. Kakashi recognized that expression and braced himself for Iruka's imminent departure. To his surprise, Iruka did not bolt but actually laughed, although the sound was more harsh than amused.

"I'm not sure if that makes this easier or if it makes it more awkward." Iruka slumped forward, his green-tinged fingers picking at the grass once more.

"You're too nice to let it get awkward," Kakashi offered, hoping the compliment helped smooth things over a bit. He watched Iruka's hands move over the lawn.

"Nice? You know what's kind of funny?" Iruka spoke after a brief lapse in conversation. He didn't wait for Kakashi to speak before answering his own question. "You're sad about something that happened ten years ago while I can't even bring myself to be sad about yesterday." His smirk faded and he shifted slightly. Long locks of brown slipped forward, hiding his features again. "I can't even find it in me to care." There was a heavy pause. "I'm not as nice as you think I am if I can't even dredge up feelings of regret for wasting the last year of my life."

Kakashi reached out toward Iruka but second-guessed himself and started to pull his hand back. He realized a second too late, though, that Iruka would know he'd made the gesture. A curtain of hair would not blind the man's auditory ability; he would have felt the change in the air currents. Kakashi resolved himself to complete the motion now that he was committed and let his fingers push the hair back behind Iruka's ear so he could see the other man's face.

"Tori has always been an asshole," Kakashi told him bluntly, letting the hand fall onto Iruka's shoulder when he completed the motion. As much as he'd like to have let his fingers trail through the chunin's hair, he didn't think it would be terribly appropriate. He was already overstepping boundaries by touching the younger man. A small part of him was pleased when Iruka didn't flinch away or make any outward sign of noticing the odd touch.

"Asshole or not, I should still feel _something_ other than anger, shouldn't I?" Iruka's face scrunched into a scowl. Kakashi thought it made him look adorably frumpy.

"You're asking the wrong guy," Kakashi replied honestly. "It's been ten years since I've broken up with anyone."

That seemed to startle Iruka, his hand pausing, grass blades still clutched between his fingers. He turned his head to stare at Kakashi, eyebrows raised. "Seriously?"

Kakashi nodded. "I've been a bit too busy for relationships," he said offhandedly. He might have been trying to open up but he wasn't going to divulge everything to the younger man. "But from what I overheard, you deserve better than him."

"He wasn't all that bad," Iruka started hesitantly but then shook his head. His hair brushed the back of Kakashi's hand, tickling the bare skin. "Never mind. He's done and over with." The chunin's brown eyes softened slightly. "I'm sorry. I didn't come out here to complain about my life. I came out here to make sure you were okay."

Kakashi squeezed Iruka's shoulder lightly. "I'm actually feeling a bit better," he admitted. "And I think we can agree that your problems are just as valid as mine – more so even when you consider yours are considerably more recent."

Iruka shrugged the shoulder without the hand on it. Kakashi wondered why he didn't brush the hand away yet. He considered removing it but Iruka hadn't made any mention of the touching and the older shinobi didn't really _want _to stop. Experimentally, he rubbed his thumb over the thin cotton on Iruka's shoulder, holding his breath. The younger ninja didn't make any outward sign of noticing or caring.

They descended into silence; Kakashi expected it to turn awkward but he was pleasantly surprised to find he could sit there with Iruka in comfort, even with physical contact. He wondered what about their association had shifted that allowed him to feel so at ease around the younger man. Kakashi decided not to dwell on it and finally took his hand away, twining his fingers together with his other hand to hug his knee closer to his chest. Beside him, Iruka leaned back onto his palms again, watching the sky steadily turn from the orange-pink of sunset to the darker purple of full dusk.

* * *

Night had fallen by the time Iruka determined that he, at least, needed to head back to the apartment. He had class the next day – the last one before the term's end – and his students were bound to be insufferably amped up. He would need to be at least moderately rested if he had any chance of keeping them focused long enough to have one last lesson hammered into their brains.

With a sigh, he turned slightly to his long-silent companion, about to suggest that they head home, and froze when his eyes landed on the jonin. Kakashi had fallen asleep, chin resting on the knee he held to his chest. The instructor cracked a smile at the eccentric man; it took skill to fall asleep in such an uncomfortable position. With a shake of his head, Iruka reached over to nudge Kakashi awake.

About two seconds after he was pinned forcefully to the ground, Iruka rethought the intelligence of prodding a sleeping jonin. At least Kakashi lacked any sharp objects, dressed in Iruka's spare pajamas as he was. Not that the older shinobi wasn't capable of killing the chunin with his bare hands, but Iruka was willing to take what he could get at that point.

Thankfully, Kakashi snapped awake quickly enough that he recognized his would-be assassin was only a ruffled and slightly flushed Iruka. The jonin released his wrists and rolled off the instructor to crouch in the grass next to him.

"Next time," Iruka murmured dryly, rubbing his sore wrists, "I'll just let you sleep outside in the cold." Though he scowled, he couldn't bring himself to let the expression reach his eyes. He knew he should have woken Kakashi verbally.

"It's almost July," Kakashi replied, looking up at the cloudless, starry sky. "'Cold' isn't exactly accurate."

Iruka shook his head and hauled himself to his feet. He offered a hand down to the older man, whose eyebrow quirked briefly at the gesture. Then, without a word, Kakashi clasped the proffered hand and let Iruka help pull him upright. The chunin took a moment to brush off his backside before starting away from the memorial. Kakashi fell into step beside him, shoving his hands into the pockets of the sweatpants.

They moved through the avenues, their path illuminated by the flickering, electric street lamps that lined the road. Iruka watched the older nin surreptitiously from the corner of his eye. Even in the partial dark, the orange letters of the shirt stood out in a sharp contrast to the white of the cloth. Iruka had been right when he thought that Kakashi was a little less thick around the middle than himself; the old, baggy pants hugged Kakashi low around the hips, even with the cord tied. The jonin looked fairly ridiculous in that outfit with his mask poking out above the collar of the shirt.

Then again, Iruka reflected, his own ensemble wasn't much better. He looked like he had just gotten back from a successful dumpster-diving trip, his shirt's hem frayed pitifully. He was pretty sure the hole in the knee of his pants was large enough to shove his head through if he'd chosen to do so. Between the two of them, they looked a wreck. It brought a chuckle to the instructor's lips.

"Something funny?" Kakashi inquired lazily.

"We're about an over-sized tank-top away from looking utterly disreputable," Iruka replied, still giggling at the mental image he had.

Kakashi glanced around at the deserted street. "Eh, there's a thrift-shop nearby but I don't think they're open this late. If you have a spare shirt at home, I can make you one."

Iruka smirked as Kakashi's eye arched into a smile. The younger nin tried to remember how the jonin looked without the mask, putting the face to the eye movement. Knowing Kakashi had shown him that face made Iruka's smirk fade into a thoughtful expression. The other man seemed to trust Iruka, even going as far as to actually touch him at the memorial. Iruka wondered what exactly brought on the shift in their familiarity and he tried to ignore the clenching feeling in his stomach as he recalled the feel of Kakashi's fingers running along the side of his scalp, tucking the errant strands behind his ear. He wasn't about to get caught up in giddy feelings after having just broken up with a long-time boyfriend, despite how much he'd wanted Kakashi to touch his hair again.

The introverted expression that Iruka had adapted was apparently not lost on the other ninja. Kakashi poked the chunin lightly on the side of the head, causing Iruka to nearly jump in surprise at the contact. He'd been distracted, lost in his thoughts, and the movement caught him off guard. He reminded himself to pay more attention to what his ears were telling him in the future if Kakashi was going to keep trying to touch him.

"I was joking," the older man offered somewhat hesitantly. "I'm not that great at sewing."

"What?" Iruka blinked, confused. It took him a moment to realize Kakashi was referring to the tank top. "Oh. No… I wasn't…" He pursed his lips, debating asking Kakashi what could potentially be an awkward question. Considering their earlier conversation at the stone, Iruka figured he might as well. He sighed, braced himself, and asked as evenly as he could, "Are we friends, Kakashi?"

It obviously caught the jonin unprepared. He quieted as they walked and Iruka feared that his question had been inappropriate. He was about to take it back when Kakashi shifted his gaze to the younger man's face.

"I'm not sure," Kakashi admitted earnestly. "Are we?" His expression – what Iruka could see of it, anyway – was bemused. He stared at the chunin and Iruka got the impression that Kakashi wanted _him_ to make that decision for them.

"I'd like to think that maybe we could be," the instructor mused aloud. "It would certainly make it easier to explain why you're sleeping on my couch."

Slowly, Kakashi's eye closed in a slight arch; Iruka took it as a soft smile and wished fervently that he could see the rest of the Copy-Nin's face again. "I don't have many friends," the older shinobi informed him. "Just Guy, really. I think I'd like to have another if you're willing."

"Well, don't expect me to challenge you to random feats of ninja skill." Iruka smirked, feeling intensely pleased that Kakashi was on board with the idea. The man was such a social recluse but when he opened up and started talking, he seemed like a really genuine person, the kind that Iruka wouldn't mind getting to know better.

"I would be greatly appreciative if you _didn't_." Kakashi shook his head and rolled his visible eye. "One Guy is too much. If friendship with you involved climbing contests and random ro-sham-bo tournaments, I'd have to politely decline."

Iruka couldn't help but laugh at that. "I'll do my best to resist the urge."

* * *

Kakashi snagged the kettle off the stove right as it started to whistle. Behind him, Iruka was frantically shoving things into his knapsack, his hair in disarray around his shoulders. A blown transformer on the street had shorted out the power to the entire apartment block for an unknown amount of time during the night. Although the power had been restored, the backup batteries in Iruka's alarm clock were apparently dead because the instructor had woken up an hour late to a blinking display telling him it was still midnight.

Kakashi had awoken to the sound of Iruka swearing profusely from the bedroom. Startled, the Copy-Nin had barged into the room to make sure the instructor was okay. He'd been greeted with a pair of sweats to the face as Iruka changed faster than Kakashi had ever seen someone dress before.

"I'm so late," the chunin bemoaned as Kakashi passed him a thermos of tea. It was shoved into the bag unceremoniously with one hand while Iruka yanked the 'fridge open with the other. He stared at the contents of the refrigerator before swearing again. "I didn't make lunch last night!" he wailed.

"Go to work," Kakashi replied evenly, detaching Iruka's white-knuckled hand from the 'fridge handle with firm fingers. "I'll bring you some leftovers. What time do you eat?"

"Eleven-thirty." Iruka rushed over to the door to slip on his sandals, his face a picture of gratitude. He was about to leave when Kakashi appeared suddenly at his side with a sticky bun in his hand. Iruka's jaw popped open in surprise and Kakashi took that opportunity to shove the roll into the chunin's mouth. "Mmph!" he said before racing from the apartment.

"You're welcome." Kakashi allowed himself a smile as he watched Iruka sprint across the rooftops toward the Academy. Once the instructor was gone, Kakashi returned his attention to the kitchen to make himself something to eat and decide what he was going to accomplish that day. He realized he hadn't left his students any instructions of when they would train again and he knew he'd better go find them so they could get their routine back up and running. Breakfast was first, though, he decided as his stomach rumbled insistently.

It was about an hour later when he left the apartment. He pulled his book out and started to meander toward the bridge, hoping that his team had decided to meet there even without being told to do it. After a few minutes, his eyes glazed over and he flipped forward a few pages to a section of the book he had found particularly hilarious. He had to hand it to Jiraiya; the man could write. It wasn't long before he found his eyes re-reading the same sentence four times, though. He kept getting distracted, his mind wandering back to the previous evening. With a sigh, he tucked the book away in its pouch, giving up on any semblance of reading. Instead, he stared blankly ahead and ran through the conversation he'd had with Iruka, trusting his feet to find their way to the bridge.

Something warm curled around inside the Copy-Nin at the recognition that he'd actually made a new friend. It seemed juvenile to be excited by something so mundane as that, but Kakashi did not make friends easily. People tended to avoid him – mostly because he wanted them to avoid him – but it made his life fairly lonely. Guy may have been a friend but he was a special sort of friend, the kind reserved for days when Kakashi was desperate for company or so bored that he needed the distraction the quirky jonin offered with his absurd challenges. Kakashi wouldn't trade Guy for anything but sometimes the other man could be a bit much to handle.

He had accepted Kakashi for who he was, though, when he'd found out that Kakashi preferred to sleep with men. Guy had merely stated something along the lines of how utterly cool Kakashi was for straying from the village's path of conformity, even if he was doing it silently. He'd then proceeded to challenge Kakashi to a feng shui contest. Kakashi had pointed out fairly blandly that being gay did not automatically give him a good eye for interior decorating. Guy had looked so crushed that Kakashi finally agreed to the challenge. Much to the Copy-Nin's dismay, he had actually won, which only convinced Guy that Kakashi held other stereotypical homosexual traits. It took the threat of Kakashi breaking off their "eternal rivalry" to get Guy to stop trying to set up challenges that specifically targeted the fact that Kakashi was gay. The smaller jonin had stressed to his friend that his sexuality was intended to be kept a secret and by essentially attempting to showcase it, Guy was being very un-hip. That had done the trick and, the very next day, they were back to spending hours doing handstand push-ups or seeing who could hold their breath longer under the river.

As Kakashi approached that same river, he glanced across the bridge and saw, to his delight, that all three of his students had gathered in the center as per usual. He grinned as he approached them, raising a hand in greeting. "Good morning!"

"You're late!" Sakura and Naruto barked simultaneously. Sasuke glowered.

"Meh, the power was knocked out at Iruka-sensei's place last night and we didn't wake up until close to eight," he explained with a mild shrug. His students rolled their eyes.

"Likely excuse," Sakura huffed, folding her arms.

"Did you at least remember to water Mr. Ukki?" Naruto demanded as Kakashi motioned for them to follow him back across the bridge. At the guilty look on Kakashi's face, Naruto's eyes narrowed. "Don't forget," the blonde warned, pointing a finger at his sensei.

"Iruka-sensei watered him last night," Kakashi explained, waving his hand dismissively. That seemed to satisfy the genin as the boy switched topics rapidly, his glare dissipating as if he hadn't just been scolding the jonin.

"What are we doing today?" Naruto asked eagerly.

"Taijutsu." Kakashi shoved his hands into his pockets, setting his feet on the path toward one of the more open practice fields, one that held wooden posts for punching and kicking. "We never did get a chance to finish that."

"When are we going on another mission?" Naruto continued. Kakashi hoped he wasn't going to start whining.

"Later," Kakashi replied but did not elaborate. He had no intention of taking them out of the town until after the chunin exams; he was still on the fence about whether or not he wanted to nominate them for the trials. He didn't want to get stuck out on a mission in case he chose to let them try for it this time around, and he wasn't in the mood to sign them up for a D-ranked day of weeding gardens.

Kakashi had originally intended to use Training Field Seven for their activities that day but, when they arrived, it was already occupied. Kakashi started to slink away before they were seen but his luck was not on his side as the Green Beast of Konoha appeared in front of him in a poof of smoke.

"My most revered rival!" Guy gave the entire team a thumbs-up. "I see your splendid prodigies are all accounted for today. Magnificent!"

"Quite." Kakashi sighed inwardly. He wanted to get moving but he didn't want to be rude, especially with how Guy had helped him out the other day.

"The younger generation is truly a blessing to us," Guy continued. He shot a grin at the three genin that comprised his own team; they looked on with intense curiosity from their positions next to the practice posts. Guy returned his attention to Team Seven, his hand falling heavily onto the top of Naruto's head, much to the blonde's dismay. The green-clad ninja ruffled the lad's hair before standing in a wide stance, his arms akimbo. "Their minds are as open as a freshly pressed roll of parchment, blank and ready to be moulded into wonderful reflections of their time!"

Kakashi nodded slightly. His eye flicked to the side, looking for a mode of escape. His students kept looking between the two and it was obvious they shared Kakashi's opinion that they didn't want to be there right then. Guy wasn't about to let them go, though. He reached out and planted a hand on Kakashi's shoulder as if sensing his rival was trying to make a break for it.

"While I have you here," Guy said, suddenly somber. "I wanted to speak with you."

Kakashi's eyebrow rose and he straightened from his slouch a little. A serious Guy was worth listening to. "Is something wrong?"

"There is a very important matter that we must attend to." The grim line Guy's lips had adapted suddenly split into a blinding smile. Kakashi flinched as a point of light bounced off the teeth and into his eye. "We have yet to commence my latest challenge!"

Kakashi withheld the groan that attempted to escape his lips. "You haven't told me your latest challenge," he muttered instead.

"We were decidedly busy," Guy responded nonchalantly. "So, here it is!" Guy jumped up into a back flip, landing on top of one of the posts. He pointed a finger at Kakashi, the other hand held high above his head dramatically. "This afternoon, we shall play… Mud Ball!"

Kakashi blinked slowly up at the energetic jonin. "What?"

Guy planted his fists on his hips and laughed uproariously. "I, The Mighty Green Beast of Konoha, The Hidden Leaf's most excellently youthful taijutsu master, hereby challenge my Eternal Rival to a game of Mud Ball! Let you all be witnesses to this challenge!" He pointed down at the six genin. One of them – a bafflingly miniature version of Guy – was scribbling madly on a notebook he'd pulled from his belt pouch. "At four'o'clock this afternoon, we shall meet upon the field of Training Ground Eighteen. You will bring with you a team of four other shinobi of your own choosing and we will do battle as the civilians do!"

"What," Kakashi asked slowly, "is Mud Ball?"

Guy jumped down from the post and winked. "I shall explain the rules when we get there. Just know this!" He held up a finger for emphasis. "Shinobi rank will hold no sway in this test of our ultimate physical skill. Until four!" Guy vanished, leaving his students standing there, gawking inquisitively at Kakashi and his team.

"Uhm." Kakashi replied to the thin air where Guy had been standing. He glanced at the other jonin's team and shrugged. "Continue on, I suppose?" he suggested. With a shake of his head, Kakashi walked away from the training field, his students following closely behind. He wondered how long it would take Guy to realize he had been in the middle of a training session and had just vanished without further instruction to his pupils.

"Why are you friends with that guy, again?" Naruto asked, baffled.

Kakashi smirked behind his mask. "I honestly couldn't tell you."

"Are you going to do it?" Sakura asked, moving up to walk next to the jonin.

"I don't really have a choice." Kakashi shrugged. "He'll show up with his chosen team at four. If I don't, I lose face."

"Who're you going to pick for your team?" Naruto asked next, excitement gleaming in his eyes. "Can I… can I be on it?" He clenched his fists eagerly, gazing up at the taller nin.

The adult sighed, eyeing Naruto through his lashes. The boy did have a lot of stamina and Guy had mentioned that rank wasn't going to be a consideration in this challenge; he had referred to it as doing battle like civilians. It sounded like some sort of game, although Kakashi wasn't familiar with it. Finally, when he'd mulled it over long enough and Naruto was starting to deflate, Kakashi nodded. "Sure."

"All right!" The boy threw his fists into the air. "We're gonna kick that bushy-browed guy's ass!"

Kakashi merely hummed in the back of his throat. He needed to start thinking about who else he was going to rope into the contest. His eye fell on Sasuke. The boy looked back and shook his head.

"I don't play," the Uchiha said firmly.

"I'm not good at sports," Sakura added when Kakashi turned his attention to her.

The older nin started to rack his brain for who in the world to invite to play a civilian game with him with only six hours notice. He grinned suddenly. He knew at least _one _person he could ask and he'd be seeing him in just a few hours for lunch. Picking up his pace a little, he headed toward the next training ground. He only had a little over an hour to drill his students before he needed to get back to the apartment and he intended to use that time well.

* * *

Iruka was in the middle of writing instructions on the board, his chalk clacking against the blackboard steadily, when the door to his classroom slid open. He frowned as he recognized the chakra signature and the air patterns that indicated it was Kakashi standing there. Confused, he turned to stare at the jonin. The class – a group of overly excited ten-year-olds – quieted as they stared at the intruder.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Iruka managed, hand still poised to write. His eyes flicked to the clock mounted on the wall above the blackboard. "You're early."

Kakashi looked pointedly at the clock as well then back at Iruka. "You said eleven-thirty."

"Yes, because I expected you at twelve-thirty."

They stood staring at each other for a long moment before a voice from the back of the room called out. "Hey! You're Naruto's sensei! You're a jonin, right?" The rest of the class suddenly became much more interested in the newcomer.

Kakashi's eye swiveled to look up at Konohamaru, nodding acknowledgement to the Hokage's grandson. He returned his gaze to Iruka.

The younger ninja sighed and shook his head. "Well, you might as well come on in," he said, exasperated. He was having a hard enough time keeping the class on target without an elite ninja showing up. Resignedly, he set his chalk back down on the tray and motioned to Kakashi with a hand, addressing the class. "Everyone, this is Kakashi Hatake, a jonin shinobi of our village."

"Yo." Kakashi lifted his hand in his signature greeting. The class murmured excitedly amongst themselves.

A girl in the front row raised her hand in question and Iruka nodded at her. "Uhm, Jonin-sensei," she started awkwardly. "Do you like your job?"

Kakashi stared at her for a moment and Iruka cleared his throat into his hand. "Kakashi-sensei isn't here to answer your questions," the instructor pointed out. "I'm sure he has much more important things to do right now."

To Iruka's surprise Kakashi's eye arched up into a smile. "Actually, my afternoon is clear." He moved a few more steps into the room and leaned back on Iruka's desk. He set the satchel he was carrying down on top of a stack of papers and then folded his arms across his middle. "And I do like my job," he addressed to the girl in the front.

"How many bad ninja have you killed?" a boy near the back blurted out. Iruka started to reprimand the child for the inappropriate question but Kakashi waylaid him with a gesture.

"More than I'd care to recount," the Copy-Nin stated. He crossed his legs at the ankles, shifting slightly to get a more comfortable lean.

Questions erupted from the student body as soon as it was apparent that their odd visitor was willing to answer them. Yes, he knew the Hokage. No, he didn't have any battle scars he'd care to show them. He wore the mask because he liked masks. His favorite food was miso soup with eggplant – Iruka made a mental note of that one – and he wasn't allergic to anything in particular. Iruka nearly laughed when one of the shyer girls, blushing furiously behind her freckles, asked if he had a girlfriend.

"Okay," Iruka interrupted as the clock reached a quarter past noon. "One more question and then we need to break for lunch."

Five voices spoke at once and Iruka glared them into silence. He pointed to one of the girls near the back.

"Are you really old?" the girl asked. Around her, her classmates were nodding in approval of the question. "Your hair's all white."

Kakashi ran a hand through his gravity-defying locks, pulling one down to look at it. He affected a shocked expression. "When did _that _happen?" he mused, glancing at Iruka. "Have I always been this gray?"

Iruka barely kept his face straight as he nodded in mock seriousness. "I'm afraid so."

"Ah, it must be my long and difficult life, leeching the color from my hair." Kakashi sighed wistfully and a couple of the students exchanged looks, obviously not sure if he was being serious. After a stretch of uncertain quiet, the girl pursed her lips.

"So… you're not old?" she pressed.

"Depends on your definition of old," Kakashi returned, eye-smiling at her.

Iruka finally let his smile through, shaking his head. "Kakashi-sensei is older than I am, at least," Iruka informed them since it was obvious that the jonin wasn't going to share his exact age.

"Man, he _is _old then!" one of the boys blurted. Iruka scowled at the child as Kakashi started to chuckle. From somewhere in the building, a bell started to ring.

"Go to lunch," Iruka commanded throwing his hands up at his students. "But be back in an hour. The day isn't over yet!" There was a rush toward the door as the class evacuated. The sudden noise level was deafening until the door slammed shut behind the last kid.

"They're charming," Kakashi said dryly as Iruka sank into his chair.

"Sorry about that," the instructor apologized with a grimace. "They're especially excitable today with the break starting tomorrow."

"Meh." Kakashi shrugged and, slipping a little further onto the desk, he twisted to grab the bag he'd set there. He pulled out a couple bento boxes, a thermos, and two bowls with spoons. He divided everything evenly then pulled out some disposable chopsticks from the bottom of the satchel. He handed one set to the chunin before breaking open his own.

"You don't have to eat with me," Iruka started as he opened the bento. The strong aroma of the food made his mouth water but he took a moment to pour them both soup from the thermos before digging into the box.

Kakashi sipped at his soup. "I want to," he said simply as he set the bowl aside. Iruka glanced up and startled; the jonin had pulled his mask down again. "What?" Kakashi asked around a mouthful of rice.

"That is seriously going to take some getting used to," Iruka told him, motioning to Kakashi's face with a circular movement of his chopsticks.

Kakashi looked annoyed. "If it bothers you, I'll cover it up." He started to reach for the material pooled around his neck but Iruka darted his hand out, snagging Kakashi's fingers before they had the chance to yank the material over his face.

"Don't," the teacher requested firmly. "You can't eat through a mask."

"Stop looking at me like that, then," Kakashi replied, deadpan. "It's disconcerting to be ogled like a chunk of meat."

Iruka opened his mouth a few times, at a loss for words. He hadn't been gawking as far as he'd been aware. He started to stammer an apology but Kakashi smiled so suddenly that the younger man was rendered unable to articulate. The jonin really had an amazing smile under the mask.

"I'm joking, Iruka. If I'm going to eat, can I have my hand back, please?" Kakashi rubbed his thumb along the back of Iruka's fingers. The chunin hadn't realized he was still holding onto the older man. He quickly let go, an unwanted blush creeping onto his face. He mentally scolded himself for the redness and started eating with gusto to distract himself from the odd tingling sensation that crept along his hand where Kakashi's thumb had stroked.

"Anyway," Kakashi continued casually as they ate. "I have a question for you."

Iruka's brows rose. "Hm?"

"How are you at sports?"

Iruka frowned, chopsticks halfway to his mouth. A few grains of rice fell off onto his paperwork but he ignored them. "Sports?"

Kakashi sighed. "Guy has challenged me to something called Mud Ball. I guess it's a civilian game of some sorts. I have to come up with a team to play against him and whoever he picks for his side. Would you be interested?"

Iruka stared at the man sitting on the edge of his desk. Without the mask on, Kakashi was surprisingly expressive with his features and Iruka could read hope clearly painted there. "You want me," he said slowly, "to be on your team for a challenge against _Guy_?" Iruka didn't bother hiding his incredulousness. "What good would I do? I'm a chunin school teacher."

Kakashi's lips twitched downward in displeasure. "Don't sell yourself short," he near-growled, surprising Iruka with the tone.

"What?" Iruka shook his head a few times. He pinched the bridge of his nose for a second before forcing himself to look fully at his friend. It still amazed him to see so much face looking back. "I won't be any good to you in a jonin challenge."

"Guy told me rank doesn't matter; Naruto is already on the team." The older shinobi's eye narrowed. "Stop underestimating yourself."

Iruka bit the inside of his cheek, frowning at the now-empty bento box on his desk. He didn't speak, though, as he debated whether or not to accept the invitation. Part of him really did want to, if only because it meant he could spend some more time with Kakashi. Another part of him was terrified of embarrassing himself in front of a man that he considered an incredibly superior ninja.

"You got within inches of those papers at the river," Kakashi continued when Iruka had yet to speak. "That takes a great deal of speed; I'm not a slow person and I wasn't taking it particularly easy on you that day. I have the feeling that we will need that sort of speed if we're going to have a chance against Guy."

Iruka finally looked up into the determined expression Kakashi was wearing. He let his eyes drink in the exposed features, lingering on the expressive lips that were pressed into a thin line. Finally, throwing some caution to the wind, Iruka nodded. "Okay. When is this happening?"

Kakashi smiled broadly, catching Iruka off-guard. The instructor had to remind himself to breath and then silently berated himself for the instantaneous reaction to the jonin's grin. Iruka told himself multiple times that he was going to refuse to develop any kind of ridiculous crush on Kakashi. Just because he knew the jonin swung the same way didn't mean a damn thing; Kakashi would never be interested in someone like him anyway. Iruka was too unspectacular for someone like Kakashi.

"This afternoon at four, Training Ground Eighteen," Kakashi informed him, obviously pleased that Iruka had agreed. "And now I need your help figuring out who else to recruit."

"School isn't out until four-thirty," Iruka objected.

"Let them out early." Kakashi didn't seem at all concerned. "It's the last day of class for two months. What are you going to accomplish with an extra half-hour?"

Iruka had to admit, albeit grudgingly, that Kakashi had a good point. It was hard enough to get them to concentrate during the first half of the day. Chewing on his bottom lip, Iruka eyed the clock on the wall. "If I can get you two more players and let my class out early, what will you give me?"

"My eternal and undying gratitude." Kakashi's sincere expression was ruined by the way the corners of his mouth twitched. Iruka realized he was trying really hard not to smile. The instructor wondered if Kakashi's inability to control his expressive face was part of the reason behind the mask. It certainly would have made it easier to hide his emotions if he didn't have to worry about schooling his facial features into cooperating.

"I don't have any use for that." Iruka adapted a contemplative look, rubbing at the scar across the top of his cheek with an idle finger. What _did _he want from the other man? A naughty part of his mind made a couple suggestions and, unbidden, the blush returned. Iruka rubbed a little more furiously at the scar, telling his traitorous mind where to shove those thoughts.

A couple cool fingers touched Iruka's hand, pulling him from his internal conflict. Kakashi drew the teacher's hand away from his face, frowning in disapproval. "You're going to hurt yourself doing that," he scolded gently before letting go of Iruka's hand and running his thumb over the dark red streak that had started to form on the scar from all the rubbing. The chunin froze at the contact, his mind going uselessly blank at the feel of Kakashi's finger tips pressing against his cheek. "You don't have to decide on your payment yet," he continued, still running a soothing finger over the pale line. "Just let me know later."

Iruka nodded dumbly and Kakashi smiled again. The fingers were suddenly gone and Kakashi was standing, shoving the empty containers back into the knapsack. Then he pulled his mask up and, with a "bye," left Iruka sitting there at his desk. The chunin dropped his forehead onto a stack of paperwork. "Fuck." Somewhere in the back of his head, the inappropriate part of his mind laughed at him with a firm 'I told you so.'

* * *

Iruka let his class out as soon as they returned from their lunch, much to their joy. When they asked him why, he told them the honest truth: he was going to go play some sort of sports game with his friends at Ground Eighteen. The pre-genin looked utterly excited as they raced from the room, leaving Iruka a little trepid about having told them the when and where of the challenge.

Shrugging it off, the chunin made his way to the mission room. He paused when he got there, staring at the back of a bowl cut that was talking quietly with a couple of the other chunin that typically manned the missions. Frowning, Iruka stalked up to them and tapped Guy on the shoulder.

"Ah, Iruka-sensei!" Guy grabbed Iruka by both shoulders in a friendly, arm's-length embrace. "Good timing. I'm putting together a team-"

"I know," Iruka interrupted. "I'm on Kakashi's."

Guy stared at the chunin for a minute before breaking into a wide grin. "I look forward to experiencing you upon the field of battle! My students speak highly of their old sensei."

Iruka cringed at Guy's choice of wording before turning to the two chunin sitting there. One looked bored, the other looked decidedly overwhelmed by Guy's exuberance.

"I have just managed to corral the most youthful Izumo onto my team," Guy continued with a wave toward the overwhelmed-looking man.

"Perfect," Iruka replied tightly. "Kotetsu, you can play for us."

"I didn't say I was going to play," the lazy shinobi started half-heartedly.

Izumo glared in his direction. "If I'm getting dragged into this, you're doing it, too," the slightly taller chunin told his friend. "It will be a chance to pit ourselves against one another if you play for Iruka's team."

Kotetsu narrowed his eyes, grinning almost predatorily. "That's a good point. Okay, fine." He nodded at Iruka. "Count me in."

"Excellent!" Guy thrust his fist into the air, his hip jutting out sideways in a pose that looked incredibly awkward.

"What's all this noise?" A deep voice interrupted from the doorway. The four shinobi turned to watch as Asuma and his team shuffled into the room. The kids were looking at Guy with open astonishment.

"I have challenged Kakashi to a most excellent contest of our abilities," Guy explained, relaxing into his hands-on-hips stance. "We must gather teams." A glint entered Guy's eyes. "Asuma, you are a man of incredible ninja ability. Would you be interested in perhaps joining _my_ team?"

Asuma looked taken a back for just a moment. "What sort of contest is this?"

"Some form of civilian sports game," Kotetsu answered for the green-clad jonin. "Mud Ball?"

Ino squealed suddenly, drawing everyone's attention to her. She turned to Asume. "You have to do it, Sensei! Mud Ball is great!"

The large man sighed and crossed his arms as he stared down at Ino, obviously annoyed. He let his eyes flick around to the other occupants of the room – a few scattered shinobi were in there picking up missions and dropping off their paperwork. They had stopped their activities to watch the scene unfold with unabashed curiosity. Asuma rolled his cigarette around on his lips for another minute before finally shaking his head. "Okay. But if I do this," he continued before Ino could say anything more, "You will agree to stop bossing around your teammates on the next mission."

"Agreed." Ino grinned and Iruka thought it looked a little too fierce for such a small girl.

Iruka chewed on his lip as Guy moved to tell Asuma more about the when and where of the challenge. Guy had recruited at least one jonin and a chunin. Iruka didn't know who else Guy had roped into the game but he had the feeling that Kakashi's team needed at least one more jonin to even come close to matching the skill Guy had gathered. He glanced at Kotetsu then let his eyes wander the room, noting who else was present. He was hoping for a jonin that would be willing, or at least was easily manipulated. Slowly, a smile started to spread across Iruka's face. Sitting in the corner, pretending to not be interested in the proceedings, was one such jonin.

"Good afternoon, Genma," Iruka greeted as he approached the other nin. "Do you remember last week when I covered both your shifts while you were hung over?"

The senbon bobbed slightly as Genma maneuvered it around in his mouth. "What time is the game?"

* * *

When Iruka arrived at the field, he paled under his tan. Someone had managed to erect bleachers along both sides of the expanse and those seats were rapidly filling with a mix of ninja and civilian alike. He spotted the entirety of the rookie nine grouped together near the front. Ino and Sakura were jostling for position on the sideline. Someone had brought _pom-poms_ of all things and the girls looked like they were intent on starting a cheer squad of some sort. Poor Hinata stood nearby, clutching the poms uncertainly in her hands.

Nearer to the top of that same riser, sitting in the exact middle of the aisle, was an even larger surprise for Iruka. The Hokage had come. Iruka glanced around, seeking out the familiar form of Kakashi that was approaching across the dirt expanse of the grounds. The instructor hurried over to the jonin.

"You didn't say there'd be a _crowd_," Iruka snarled as soon as Kakashi stopped in front of him.

Kakashi scratched at his cheek through the fabric of his mask. "I didn't know there would be one. Too late to back out now, Iruka. Who did you get?"

The instructor sighed deeply, rubbing the back of his head. "Kotetsu and Genma."

Kakashi nodded slightly. "I know Genma. Who is… Oh."

Iruka turned to see both the mentioned ninja walking toward them across the field. They all nodded greetings to each other before turning their attentions back to the stands.

"Quite the turnout," Kotetsu noted. "Ah, geez. My mom's here." He looked uneasy and Iruka slung an arm around the shorter man's shoulders, jostling him good-humoredly. The instructor did not catch the oddly dark look Kakashi shot the back of Kotetsu's head before Iruka released the older nin.

"Who else do we have?" Genma asked, hands shoved into his pockets. He didn't seem at all concerned with the growing crowd.

"Hello!" Naruto raced up out of breath. "Sorry I'm late-" he cut himself off and gaped at Kakashi. "You're on time!"

"Yup. Now that we're all here, who did Guy get?" Kakashi turned his gaze toward the bleachers where Guy was standing with a group of shinobi.

"Izumo and Asuma," Iruka replied grimly, stepping up next to Kakashi. "Don't know who his third or fourth are, though."

"Looks like his clone is playing for them." Kakashi jerked his chin toward the genin in the identical leotard. The boy was stretching, his face set in a stubborn frown. "And… damn." His visible eye narrowed and Iruka felt his stomach drop apprehensively.

"What is it?"

"He's got Anko." Kakashi's team exchanged dark expressions, with the exception of Naruto.

"Who's that?" the boy whispered to Iruka.

The instructor tried to put on a brave face. "Oh, she's just a jonin. Don't worry about it."

"Easy for you to say," Kotetsu muttered from Iruka's side. The instructor elbowed the older man in the gut, effectively shushing him.

Naruto seemed satisfied for the moment and turned his eyes to the crowd. "Oh, wow. Look at all those people. Hey! Hekai's here, too." He pointed a finger at a boy sitting at the top row. Naruto leaned toward Iruka. "That lady is his sister," he informed the man who recognized Hekai as the young shinobi that gave Kakashi Yasu's packet last night. "And I don't know who that guy is sitting next to her, but the guy on the other side of _him _is that Shinji asshole."

Iruka froze, his throat suddenly very dry. "The ninja sitting between them is named Hiro," he said quietly. "He's a jonin."

Naruto shrugged, unconcerned. "Anyway, Hekai's kind of a cool kid. We hung out a bit last night. His family is a bunch of jerks, though. I feel bad for him." Iruka started to tune Naruto out as the boy rambled. The chunin's eyes roved over the field before settling on Kakashi. The jonin was standing a little ways away from the team, looking rather impatient to get the game over with.

"I'll be right back," Iruka muttered, leaving Naruto standing there. The younger ninja looked slightly put off before moving toward the crowd to talk to his old classmates before the game started.

As Iruka approached Kakashi, the older ninja frowned. "What's wrong?" he asked the moment they were close enough that they wouldn't be overheard. Iruka didn't bother to hide his unease. He leaned into Kakashi slightly, lowering his voice.

"Top row on the right," he murmured into the jonin's ear. Although they weren't actually touching, Iruka could feel Kakashi's stance tighten.

"What the fuck are they doing here?" Kakashi growled quietly in response. Iruka could hear the worry in the man's voice.

"Hopefully they'll keep their mouths shut," Iruka replied grimly, placing a restraining hand on Kakashi's upper arm. "Why is Hiro sitting with them?"

Kakashi glanced at Iruka. His eye spoke volumes and the instructor sighed. "_That's _the family he married into?" He paused and smirked suddenly. "Am I a bad person for thinking it serves him right?"

Kakashi laughed then and Iruka found himself chuckling along. They both returned their gazes to the top row of the bleachers and Iruka felt a slight twinge of satisfaction to see Hiro scowling in their direction. Iruka realized that, with his hand on Kakashi's arm and their heads close together, it looked like they were sharing some private moment.

"Gather!" Guy's voice suddenly broke out across the field. He was waving Kakashi's team toward the sideline. They all moved to oblige and, once everyone was there, Guy started to announce the rules for the game. His voice carried well over the area and the spectators quieted almost immediately when it became apparent that what he was saying was important.

"Now! I'd like to welcome all you youthful, magnificent people to this challenge! The game, for those unfamiliar with it, is called Mud Ball." He reached into a bag at his feet and pulled out a round, leather ball about the size of a large cantaloupe. "If my esteemed rival would do the honors, we need to moisten the field."

"What?" Kakashi blinked at Guy then looked at the dirt.

"It isn't Mud Ball unless we play in mud," Guy informed him as if imparting great wisdom.

Bemused, Kakashi flipped through a few hand signs then crouched, slamming his palm against the dirt. Slowly, the field started to bubble and gloop, water seeping up from the ground until the large open area resembled a quagmire.

"Good. Now, the rules!" Guy posed impressively, the ball still clutched in his large hand. "Rule Number One! There will be no use of chakra." The ninja present exchanged apprehensive glances. "Without chakra, we will be able to better test our physical prowess against one another!"

"Says the taijutsu expert," Kotetsu mumbled from his spot next to Genma. The senbon-sucking jonin merely nodded his agreement but did not bother to add a comment of his own.

"Secondly, the first team to score ten points wins. The goals are the far ends of the field where I have placed those markers." He pointed out flags stuck into the ground framing a goal-area. "Lastly, there are no weapons but anything else goes. You carry the ball, pass it to your teammates, and score a point every time your whole body enters the goal with the ball."

Slowly, heads nodded their understanding. Kakashi started to move away to one side of the field but Guy held him back by clearing his throat. "One more thing," the Mighty Beast added. "Most of us are dressed as splendid ninja. We need to differentiate ourselves so we do not mistakenly pass the ball to the wrong team."

Kakashi blinked. "Okay."

"So, we must now decide who will be shirts and who will be skins!" Guy pointed a finger at Kakashi and the Copy-Nin stared openly back.

"But Sensei!" Mini-Guy interrupted. "Would it not mean that if our team should be chosen as the skins, we would have to disrobe entirely and play in our underwear?" The boy looked down at the green one-piece he was wearing.

"Ninja must do as they must!" Guy reprimanded firmly. The boy saluted and started to undo his belt.

"I'm game," Anko added, tossing her trench coat to one side. It was obvious she wore little to nothing under her mesh top and Iruka blanched at the thought of a shirtless Anko running amok in the mud.

"Shirts off," Kakashi barked suddenly to his team. Apparently his thought processes were similar to Iruka's because he was eying Anko's shirt with distaste. Without waiting for an objection from Guy, Kakashi unzipped his flak jacket and tossed it at the sidelines.

Iruka forced himself to not watch the jonin disrobe, concentrating instead on his own top. It took only a moment before he felt the hot sun beating down on his bare back. He carried the pile over to the pom-pom sporting kunoichi. "Would you mind watching this?" he asked Sakura, who took the bundle and set it on the bench behind her.

Iruka straightened, sensing Kakashi before he'd had the chance to turn around. A pile of shirts was dropped unceremoniously onto the previously discarded flak jacket and Iruka chanced a glance at the Copy-Nin's face. He was wearing one of his unattached masks, the material clinging to his neck and face but nowhere else. Iruka tried not to feel too disappointed; of course Kakashi wasn't going to remove his mask in front of so many people. With a mental shrug, Iruka turned to walk onto the playing field, making a face as his sandals squelched in the thick mud. This was going to make one giant mess.

A finger brushed his back so unexpectedly that Iruka spun and threw a gut-punch before he'd thought about it. His hand was immediately incased in one of Kakashi's, stopping the hit from landing, although the slightly taller ninja did slide back half an inch in the slick mud from the force. Iruka stared at the openly surprised look in Kakashi's visible eye.

"Touchy?" the jonin murmured, releasing Iruka's hand.

"Sorry," Iruka managed. His nerves tingled uncomfortably at the contact and at his response. He felt terribly guilty for trying to punch Kakashi but he did _not _like having his back touched, especially not on that particular scar. He rubbed his upper arms somewhat self-consciously, trying his best to look anywhere but at the body in front of him.

"Are you okay?" Kakashi's voice was so serious that Iruka finally drew his eyes up the chiseled chest in front of him. Scars criss-crossed the pale skin, a testament to the hard life of a field shinobi.

"I'm fine. Let's just do this, okay?" Iruka rolled his shoulders a bit, feeling tenser than he should have been. It didn't help that he felt terribly out of shape, despite the fact that his own torso wasn't that much softer than Kakashi's, nor did it help that he was now shirtless in front of a couple hundred spectators. He noticed his entire class of ten-year-olds sitting on the left-hand side of the bleachers. Konohamaru waved enthusiastically from his perch at the top.

Kakashi clapped Iruka on the shoulder and waved the others over into a huddle. "We'll need some sort of strategy if he's got Anko and Asuma on his side," Kakashi murmured to the other four. "Consider this a battle drill; let's work together to get that ball to the far side. Genma, I want you to stick closer to this side, guard our goal." The senbon-ninja nodded his compliance, cracking his knuckles. Kakashi regarded the others for a moment. "No chakra," he warned Naruto. The blonde looked frumpy but didn't argue. Kakashi's dark gray eye landed on Iruka and he looked rather thoughtful. "Focus and move like you did the other day at the park." Kakashi twisted at the waist a few times, his back popping from the motion. "Be aware of where your feet are; this ground is slick. Let's go."

With grim-set faces, they positioned themselves on the field. Kakashi moved forward to the halfway point to face off with Guy. The taller jonin held the ball aloft for a brief second before chucking it straight up into the air with an impressive battle cry. The game was on.

* * *

Iruka shifted in the mud, spitting grit out of his mouth. He tried to wipe his mouth on his arm to free it of muck but only managed to smear it around. Like everyone else on the churned field, he was covered with the dark, sticky substance. Guy's team fared slightly better in that their clothing was plastered instead of their bare tops.

From the stands, cheers and jeers were being screamed at both sides of the field. Civilians had been quick to pick sides and a full on rivalry was rippling through the crowd. Sakura and Ino had long ago stopped talking to one another when it became apparent that Sakura was going to cheer for her sensei while Ino rooted for Asuma. Each score from either team resulted in polite clapping from the Hokage. The old man seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself, laughing with some of the shinobi sitting near him. Konohamaru waffled between which side he supported, not sure if he would rather cheer for his mentor Naruto or his uncle Asuma. He finally settled for clapping and stomping regardless of which side scored a goal.

A hand landed on Iruka's shoulder, splattering more mud onto his face. He glanced over at Kakashi in annoyance. "Really?" he asked wryly.

Kakashi smiled in response before waving the others over for another huddle. They all looked about the same as Iruka: completely smeared in dark mud. "We only need one more goal," Kakashi started, stating the obvious. "Think we have one last solid push in us?" It was apparent that everyone was getting tired. Relying entirely on their own stamina was starting to show, although Naruto looked about as fresh as he had been when they started.

"They only need one goal, too," Kotetsu pointed out, spitting to the side to rid his mouth of dirt. "We need a new strategy besides 'rush the goal.'"

Kakashi nodded his agreement. "Any thoughts?"

"We can distract Izumo by throwing mud at him." Kotetsu snickered. "This is probably driving him nuts, being so dirty." Iruka cracked a smile at that but Kakashi merely shook his head.

"I don't think it's possible to get any more muddy than everyone already is." The jonin's brow scrunched in consideration for a minute before he looked back at Iruka. The instructor had essentially played a very defensive roll in the game thus far, passing the ball off to either Kakashi or Genma whenever he had the opening. He felt slightly uncomfortable with how hard Kakashi was looking at him right then.

"What?" Iruka finally snapped. A loose strand of hair was plastered to his cheek and Kakashi reached over to move it, tucking it behind the chunin's ear. Those same fingers snagged Iruka's earlobe and tugged it meaningfully.

"Does it take chakra?" he asked the instructor cryptically. Iruka realized Kakashi was referring to the sonar.

"No," Iruka replied flatly. "It's subconscious; I can't turn it off even if I wanted to."

"Perfect. Whatever we do out there, get Iruka the ball," he ordered. "You," he addressed the instructor, "are going to start using these."

Iruka swallowed and the huddle broke before he could argue the point. The others looked at him curiously and he took a deep, calming breath. The chunin adjusted his forehead protector and then, much to the surprise of just about everyone present, he jammed it down over his eyes, blocking out all visual input. It worked best if he didn't have conflicting senses.

"Ready?" Kakashi murmured near his ear. Iruka nodded once and he felt Kakashi's hand ghost across his lower back before the presence moved to the center point of the field.

Guy's voice hollered out a firm "Yosh!" and Iruka tracked the movement of the ball through the air, body poised to run. The moment Kakashi's fingers collided with the soft leather, Iruka twisted, reaching out to deftly catch the sphere as it flew at him.

The world around him erupted into collage of sounds, each one sending significant information into Iruka's brain, painting a picture only an Umino would be able to understand. The shift to his left was Anko and he turned and dropped, skidding a few feet forward. Without thinking about it, he chucked the ball backwards to the ripple that was Kotetsu. He felt the flicker that indicated Anko had changed directions and Iruka took the opportunity to surge back to his feet. He darted forward toward the area the goal sat in. A slight wind ruffled the flags, bodies moved around him, the ball switched hands at least five times, stolen by one team then back by the other. The sounds from the crowd were hard to block out but Iruka did what he could to keep those in the background, using it as a marker for where the edge of the playing field was.

There was a flash of sound and Iruka jumped in time to pluck the ball from the air, stealing it from the waiting hands of Asuma. The chunin bowed backwards, limbo-ing under the grasping hands of the jonin. He pivoted around the large man, jerking immediately to one side as Lee tried to intervene. Without the ability to physically see them, Iruka stopped second guessing his movements, twisting, ducking, and weaving out of the way of grasping fingers before he had a chance to consider what he was going to do.

Even his innate ability wasn't a match for Guy's speed, however, and Iruka felt himself trip before he realized Guy was even there. He hit the ground hard, the mud splattering onto his face. He felt a momentary panic as he nearly inhaled a mouthful of the substance but Kakashi's presence fluttered nearby and the chunin chucked the ball at the form. There was an uproar from the crowd and Iruka shoved his hitai-ate off his face. Kakashi stood behind the goal flags, ball held firmly in his upraised hand.

"I do believe that's game," the Copy-Nin drawled at Guy, tossing him the dirty ball.

The other jonin caught it, grinning broadly despite the defeat. "You are a most worthy rival! Team Kakashi wins!" He had tears in his eyes after making the announcement. "Your team was truly glorious."

Iruka picked himself up and looked up at the stands. The crowd was split in their reactions and he was somewhat surprised to see Hekai standing with Sakura, cheering as heartily as those who had supported the shirtless team. Iruka sought out the forms of the boy's family and noticed they were no longer in the stands. "Good riddance," he mumbled to himself before someone touched his arm.

"I told you not to underestimate yourself," Kakashi spoke in an undertone, squeezing the younger man's bicep.

Iruka brought a hand up to rub at the mud that covered his scar, doing nothing more than smearing the muck around. He gazed at the filthy hand and curled his lips. "I can't possibly walk into my apartment like this," he lamented. The other ninja seemed to make that same connection as they stood around gazing down at their pitifully dirty appearances.

Guy laughed suddenly, hands on his hips. "To the baths!" he announced, pointing in the vague direction of the hot springs. "They will launder our uniforms while we soak away this grime."

Iruka shrugged and moved to pick up his shirts from the bench. He smiled his thanks at those that called congratulations toward him. Much of the crowd started to disperse, leaving only the grimy shinobi. Slowly, tired from a couple hours of running around on a slippery surface, they slogged their way in a grubby group toward the onsen.

* * *

Kakashi sighed blissfully as the hot water lapped at his chest. It had taken forever to scrub all the mud from his body to the point where the onsen staff had been satisfied enough to allow him to enter the water. Now, damp mask pulled up in place, he felt the steamy temperature of the natural hot springs seep into his pores, relaxing him. It had been a while since he'd come to the public bath and he had forgotten how nice it was to just soak.

Foot falls sounded along the ground nearby and Kakashi turned his head slightly to watch as Iruka approached. The short towel wrapped around the other man's waist left quite a bit of muscled thigh visible and Kakashi resisted the urge to run his fingers along the skin as it slid into the water. He'd been touching the chunin an awful lot that day and he knew he really should back off a bit. Just because they'd decided to elevate their relationship to actual friendship did not give Kakashi the right to touch Iruka whenever he wanted. His brain just seemed to keep forgetting that last part.

"Your hair is down again," Kakashi noted as Iruka shifted on the underwater bench.

"D'aw, isn't it cute like that?" Anko, her towel dangerously low on her breasts, slid in next to Iruka. She snuggled up to the instructor's side, oblivious to the fact that he was not pleased to have her hanging there. Kakashi kept his face carefully blank as he gazed at the female.

"This isn't a mixed onsen," Genma pointed out from where he sat nearby, senbon bobbing as he spoke.

Anko crinkled her nose. "None of you have anything I haven't seen before," she announced, squashing her cleavage a little closer to Iruka. The teacher was trying to scooch away unsuccessfully. "Besides, we're all wearing towels."

"Barely," Izumo muttered from Kakashi's left.

A throat cleared above Anko and everyone looked up at Asuma. The man's towel was about an inch from slipping off, barely long enough to wrap around his thick waist. "There are kids present," he told her with a pointed look at Lee and Naruto. The boys had been ogling the rounded tops of the woman's breasts. "Go on, before you get us all kicked out of here."

Anko pouted and looked beseechingly at Iruka as if she thought he was going to be able to convince the others to let her stay. He was disinclined, however, attempting to detach his arm from her. Finally, she huffed and stood, her towel sliding even lower. "Ch, you boys are no fun." She sloshed out of the spring and disappeared into the building.

"Thanks," Iruka said to Asuma as the large man lowered himself into the water.

Asuma puffed a couple times on his cigarette and nodded acknowledgement. "That was something out there, Iruka-sensei," he murmured after a particularly long drag and a satisfied sigh.

The chunin shifted a little uncomfortably and Kakashi felt the other man's leg bump against his. In his attempt to get away from Anko, Iruka had scooted considerably closer to the jonin. Kakashi did his best to ignore the feeling of Iruka's skin pressed there. He laid his arms along the edge of the pool, leaning his head back to stare up at the stars. He wished there weren't so many colleagues around so he could perhaps casually sling one of those arms around the chunin sitting there.

'Knock it off,' he ordered himself silently. 'The guy just broke up with his boyfriend. The last thing you want to do is be a rebound when you're trying to be a friend.' He let his eye slide closed and tried to concentrate on something else, like recalling various jutsu he'd memorized years ago. Unbidden, his mind drifted to entertain a couple thoughts about what it would feel like to have Iruka nestled in the crook of his arm. He cursed mentally at how screwed he was if he couldn't even concentrate on something as simple as jutsu recall. The slight inkling from the previous night that he might be attracted to the school teacher had exploded into a full-on desire sometime between the memorial stone and the onsen. He marveled that he could form such a strong feeling in less than twenty-four hours and he wondered what exactly it was about the younger ninja. Somehow, despite Kakashi's best efforts to distance himself from people, Iruka had weaseled his way into the jonin's life.

He listened to the flow of conversation, nodding absently when he agreed with something one of the others said. Between the warmth of the water and the murmur of comforting, deep voices around him, Kakashi dozed before he could stop himself. He wasn't sure how long he was out but when a gentle voice woke him, the hot spring was essentially empty. He gazed around befuddled, blinking the haze from his vision. He dropped his arms into the water by his side, the limbs cold from being out of the pool for an extended period of time.

"We're going to turn into boiled lobsters if we stay in here much longer," Iruka murmured from his side. Kakashi stared at him. Despite the fact that the pool was empty save for them, Iruka had yet to move away from Kakashi's side. The jonin thought he could still feel the press of Iruka's leg against his own. Before he was able to stop himself, he ran his right hand along the thigh to check and see if it was really there. He felt the muscles tighten as Iruka froze but didn't stop his hand until it reached the other man's knee. He rested his hand there, letting his fingers trace over the hard contours of Iruka's kneecap. The chunin looked over, his dark eyes guarded, but he did not pull away.

Kakashi swallowed heavily when he realized that last part. He was touching Iruka and the man was still not moving away. With the exception of touching the massive scar on his back, Iruka had yet to pull away whenever Kakashi had placed his hands on him. The logical side of his brain kept repeating over and over that he had no wish to be a rebound of any sort. The side in charge when he managed to meet Iruka's gaze with his own told the first one to shut the fuck up.

Carefully, not wanting to spook the younger man, Kakashi removed his hand from Iruka's knee and brought it out of the water to brush back loose strands of brown from the chunin's face. The other hand joined the first, untangling the damp locks. His finger tips trailed lightly along the younger man's scalp and, to Kakashi's surprise, Iruka's eyelids fluttered shut at the touch. His lips were parted and Kakashi could hear the rapid way Iruka was breathing. It sent a shiver down Kakashi's spine that had nothing to do with being cold. The dark-haired man turned slightly to allow Kakashi a better angle, half facing him. He leaned in a little and the jonin nearly jerked as hands slid onto his own thighs, causing his breath to hitch in his throat.

He was in for an even bigger surprise as Iruka suddenly moved forward, his hands gliding up the older man's chest. Before Kakashi could register what was happening, Iruka had effectively straddled the jonin's lap, yanked down the mask, and pressed their lips firmly together.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: **Konnichiwa.

**Warnings: **Please keep your hands, arms, legs, heads, and all personal belongings inside the fic at all times. If you'll please direct your attention to the top of this page, you'll notice the rating for this story. For those who have not been watching closely, we are now "M" rated. You have been forewarned. So sit back, relax, enjoy the trip, and please, no flash photography.

**Notes: **This was hard to write, and not just because my cat decided to camp out on my lap for the majority of the writing process. I caught many typos on a re-read after it initially posted. I'm hoping to have caught them all - a couple were kind of funny and totally threw off the groove, ha!

**Additional: **I guess there's some whispers going around about a "purge" in effect on for "mature content" stories (those prudish site admins *shakes fist*). I have no intention to cease and desist so, should my fic somehow be "found out" and targeted for this purge, I'll find someplace else to stick it up. Until then, I'm going to live dangerously. So if this story randomly vanishes, I'll stick something up in my profile letting you know where it'll reappear.

**Also: ** I had what I like to refer to as a "timesquiggle" issue in which I forgot a chronologically important thing back in Chapter Six. It's really not that important to go back and find it if you're curious what it was, but it's fixed now. For those not wanting to go on a scavenger hunt, Mud Ball took place a week before the Chunin exams are set to start, the same day the school term ended. I was too vague back in Chapter Six when I made mention of the school term ending and I realized as I was doing some re-reads, that I had made it sound like the last day of school was supposed to start on the first day of the exams, which isn't the case at all. This is what happens when I write at 3am; I forget to mention important shit. Sorry!

**One More Thing: **I don't usually pander for reviews. You may have noticed this. I never ask you to take the time to do it – you should not feel like you have to do so. The most I ask is for you to point out typos if you feel so obliged since I don't have a beta. This chapter is a little different, though. I'm a bit paranoid (Sorry Maxine! It's hard not to be!) about how this is going to go (especially after having read an extremely well-written fic in the last few days.) I'm feeling particularly subpar at the moment so, if it's not any trouble, would you guys mind letting me know how I did with this one? I'm not looking for any OMGZOAWHSUMS!121!. (Seriously, if you do leave something that hideous without being obviously facetious, I'll smack my head on my desk until it breaks). All I'd like to know is whether or not certain citrus-y scenes are okay, or at least acceptable. If they're not, let me know so I can work to improve them. Thanks everyone. I appreciate your interest immensely.

**Seriously: This is the Last Author's Note for this Update: **A reply to Meg: I wish I was cool enough to have fanart done of my story. I'd draw it myself but my abilities would not do it justice. If it ever does happen, though, I'll be sure to include directions on how to find it since doesn't like links in profiles now.

* * *

**Chapter Ten: In Which Kakashi Teleports and Then Makes Bacon**

It took Kakashi a solid three seconds to register what was happening. It wasn't like him to lose his composure but the moment Iruka had slid onto his lap, Kakashi's brain left the onsen. He froze at the feel of the chunin's soft lips ghosting across his own, the pressure of the man's thighs at his hips, and the realization that wherever Iruka's towel was, it wasn't around the younger nin's waist. A heartbeat later, Kakashi silently berated himself for his lack of reaction as Iruka pulled back from the one-sided kiss. The younger man's expression was tentative and he started to slide back off of the jonin's lap.

"I- I'm sorry," Iruka stuttered. Kakashi could almost hear the blush in the chunin's voice. Although the lanterns that hung above the pool gave off a soft glow, it was still fairly dim. Kakashi could make out Iruka's features but not much else as the instructor retreated to stand chest-deep in the hot spring.

The loss of contact jolted Kakashi out of his inert state and, before he really thought about it, he surged to his feet. A hand shot out and snagged Iruka by the wrist, preventing him from backpedaling any further. His other arm hooked the younger nin around the waist and, with a gentle tug, he pulled Iruka flush against his chest. It took a considerable amount of control on the jonin's part to not groan at the hot press of Iruka's nude body against his own. Kakashi may still have had his towel on but every part of him was intensely aware of the lean body moulded to his form.

"Don't be," Kakashi murmured in response to Iruka's apology. Throwing caution to the wind, he dipped his head down the inch difference to capture the teacher's lips. He left it light and testing, allowing the other man to dictate their pace. The logical side of Kakashi's brain that was attempting to scold him for this was shoved roughly to one side as the Copy-Nin chose to do what he _wanted _and not what was necessarily the best idea. When he felt the slick slide of Iruka's tongue probing forward, Kakashi obligingly parted his lips. Tentatively Kakashi slid his tongue against the intruding muscle, his eye closing involuntarily at the feeling of the other man invading his mouth.

It had been an awfully long time since Kakashi had actually kissed someone. The brief flings he lived on where more of the wham-bam variety taken whenever and wherever the opportunity arose, be it a broom closet or a hotel room while away on a mission. He had a strict policy to limit the contact to the important parts; kisses were not part of that deal. His partners were often of the same mind as him and that meant that, despite the amount of experience Kakashi had in the sack, the majority of his mouth-related expertise had nothing to do with another man's mouth. It took only a few moments of allowing the chunin in, though, for Kakashi to realize that Iruka knew precisely what he was doing.

The shorter man's tongue slid around Kakashi's, probing the depths of his mouth like an adventurous explorer. His teeth scraped softly at the older nin's lips as he drew his hands up the length of the trim chest, tracing wet trails along the dips between Kakashi's muscles. The wet skin chilled considerably, bringing a shiver through his body that had very little to do with the temperature. When Iruka's fingers brushed sensitive nipples, the jonin bit off a moan, struggling to control himself. It had been a number of months since anyone had touched him and Kakashi felt his body respond eagerly to the chunin's light contact.

The younger man tilted his head slightly, repositioning himself better against Kakashi's lips as the silver-haired shinobi released the wrist he was holding. His free hand slipped down along the small of Iruka's back, fingers of both hands trailing with feather-light touches along the subtle ridges of old scars. He felt the skin shudder and Iruka pressed forward firmly, his hands moving to tangle into Kakashi's gravity-defying locks. A soft gasp escaped the Copy-Nin when Iruka sucked his bottom lip into his mouth. The chunin ran his tongue along the lip before relinquishing it.

The older ninja pulled back breathlessly but did not give Iruka much of a chance to regroup before letting his lips trail along the other's jaw. He had the sudden urge to taste as much of that tanned skin as possible. He explored the crook of Iruka's neck with tongue, teeth, and lips, drawing a long, shuddered groan from the smaller man. Kakashi felt his groin tense at the sound; he doubled his efforts, fastening his mouth over the rapidly thudding pulse. He suckled gently, coaxing another low moan from Iruka's lips. One of his hands dipped lower to run over the chunin's round buttocks, squeezing it. The body against him reacted instantly, pushing forward. Kakashi's eye snapped open at the hard bulge suddenly jabbing against his toweled thigh. He sucked harder, his blunt nails digging into the ass cheek in his hand. Iruka's hips rolled forward again as he gasped, the hands in the jonin's hair tightened their grip, yanking Kakashi's mouth off with a soft pop.

The instructor sent him a smoldering looking through half-closed lids as he smoothed out the mussed, silver hair in his fingers. Kakashi could see the lantern light reflected back at him in Iruka's dilated eyes and, at that close proximity, the aroused flush that painted the other man's face was obvious, his pale scar standing out sharply against the red.

"If you give me a hickey," Iruka murmured, his voice husky, "I'll kick your ass."

Normally, Kakashi would have smirked at such a comment but the feel of Iruka's obvious erection, coupled with his own uncomfortably tight groin and the firm buttock clenched under his fingers prevented the expression. Instead, he merely leaned the few inches forward to capture Iruka's mouth once more. Entrance was immediately granted and Kakashi took full advantage of the opportunity. His tongue sought out every corner of the chunin's mouth, drinking in the feeling of Iruka's own tongue sparring back. His hands ghosted over the other's back again, his arms tightening to pin the instructor in place. Quickly, before Iruka had a chance to react, Kakashi tore his mouth away and ducked under the chunin's chin, placing firm suction on the spot where his jaw met his neck. He bit down hard, bringing a hiss from Iruka, then ran a placating tongue over the angry, red mark visible on the younger man's skin. His tongue continued upward, pausing on the chunin's earlobe before tracing the outer shell of Iruka's ear. A gust of hot breath from Kakashi's mouth sent a delicious shudder through Iruka's body. Enjoying the sensation of Iruka trembling in his arms, Kakashi started to repeat the action, both hands sliding down to cup the man's bottom.

He was cut off abruptly at the unmistakable sound of a shoji sliding open and Kakashi moved before he even considered what he was doing. His hands shot out of the water, clasping together behind Iruka's shoulders so that the younger man was still encircled by the jonin's arms. Kakashi's fingers flipped rapidly, gathering chakra in a practiced move before he grasped Iruka close to his body and vanished before whoever was interrupting had managed to fully open the door.

* * *

Iruka felt like his breath was being squeezed from his body by an un-seeable force. The world around him swirled so violently that he screwed his eyes shut but that brought no relief as his ears automatically made up for his loss of vision. Feeling considerably nauseated, it took the chunin a few minutes to realize when the dizzying sensation had ceased. Not trusting his feet to keep him upright, he clung to the solid body in front of him, anchoring himself firmly to the ground.

"What the hell was that?" he asked thickly, prying his eyes open to look around. Shockingly, they stood in the middle of his living room. Eyes widening a little, Iruka returned his gaze to the jonin that was smiling somewhat meekly at him.

"That would be a true teleportation," Kakashi offered with a slight smirk.

Iruka stared openly at the Copy-Nin. "How…?" he started, still baffled from the odd sensation of being stretched incredibly thin. He suddenly felt some sympathy for a thrown shuriken, the whirling sensation still trying to mess with his equilibrium.

"I left a tag here in my bag," the jonin explained in what was probably supposed to be a helpful tone. Iruka squeezed his eyes shut again as his eyes failed to track properly. He missed the concern that flickered across Kakashi's face as the chunin planted his forehead against Kakashi's clavicle in an attempt to stop the world from wobbling. "Are you alright?"

"No," Iruka said bluntly, his voice slightly muffled against Kakashi's skin. "Dizzy."

Iruka felt himself being guided to one side and went willingly in the direction Kakashi was moving him. He felt the couch bump into his knee and sank gratefully onto the cushion. Only after the slightly cold fabric touch the skin of Iruka's rear did the younger man realize he was still completely in the buff. His entire body stilled in mortification but he felt too ill to do more than freeze at the thought that he was completely open to Kakashi's scrutiny. The older ninja must have sensed Iruka's unease, though, because only a couple seconds later, a blanket was being wrapped around the chunin's shoulders. To his surprise, Iruka felt the couch shift next to him and Kakashi's arms enclosed Iruka's body, pulling him, blanket and all, against the warmth of the jonin's chest.

Iruka turned a particularly interesting shade of pink under his tan but was grateful for the solid presence. He felt too unbalanced to really care about how ridiculous he felt, naked save for the quilt, cuddling with an equally mostly-nude Copy-Nin, both of them still soggy from the onsen. He was briefly horrified at the thought that his carpet was going to be soaked where they'd landed, but his non-vision slipped again, throwing the auditory inputs into wibbles that made him want to retch.

"I've never seen anyone react like this," Kakashi murmured into his hair, tucking the younger man's head under his chin as he spoke. Gentle fingers of one hand rubbed at the back of Iruka's head, tangling in the still-damp tresses while the other gripped Iruka around his middle, stroking the small of his back through the blanket.

"I think," Iruka guessed slowly, attempting to open his eyes again to check if it was easier to use his vision since it was impossible to block out the enhanced auditory trait when he felt so out of sorts. The most he could do was lessen it if he tried to physically look at his surroundings. "I think my sonar is not compatible with space-time teleportation. I'm having a really hard time tracking properly."

"Anything I can do to help?" Kakashi's hands continued their gentle ministrations and Iruka found his eyes closing involuntarily at the feeling of those deft fingers working patterns into his scalp and along his back. His mind replied that Kakashi should move one of those hands under the blanket but he managed to hold his tongue before the thought was voiced.

"Just keep doing that," he murmured instead, resting his head against the other man's shoulder. "I'm sure this'll pass soon." Idly, Iruka ran the fingers of one of his hands along Kakashi's bare thigh, feeling oddly bold despite the vertigo he was experiencing. It was steadying to touch the well-defined muscles that twitched under the contact. After a few seconds, Iruka's brow furrowed as it dawned on him that he should be feeling a wet towel and not a hard thigh. Before he considered just what he was doing, Iruka's eyes snapped open and he looked down. There was definitely no towel there. Where had it gone? Iruka could feel the blood rushing to his face as he stared blatantly at the jonin's lap.

Kakashi obviously noticed the direction in which Iruka was intently gazing. A soft chuckle rumbled in his chest, although Iruka thought he could hear the faintest of nervous giggles hidden behind the sound. He tore his eyes away guiltily and forced himself to look up at the older man. "Uhm," he managed then kicked himself for the intelligence of his response.

"I didn't want to soak your couch." Kakashi removed the hand from Iruka's back and motioned vaguely toward the kitchen. Iruka's lifted his head and flicked his eyes in that direction to note a soggy lump of towel sitting on the tiles before he settling back down against Kakashi's shoulder. He stared resolutely at the long column of the jonin's neck, watching his pulse thrum under the pale skin.

"That's very considerate," Iruka told him. "It's an old couch, though." The chunin let his eyes slide shut again as Kakashi's hand returned to his back. He didn't care if his response had sounded banal, just as he had ceased caring that they were sitting stark naked in his living room with only an old blanket separating them. He was comfortable and his ears had stopped trying to convince him that he was spinning in place. A few more minutes and the motion-sickness was bound to dissipate, too.

"Do me a favor?" he asked as he shifted a little to find a more comfortable place to rest his cheek. The hard muscle of Kakashi's shoulder wasn't exactly akin to a pillow. Kakashi hummed in acknowledgement but didn't speak, allowing Iruka to make his request uninterrupted. "Never do that again."

Kakashi stilled his hands. "Do what?" His breath ghosted over Iruka's ear and the smaller man sighed as a small trill ran up his spine.

"Teleport me," Iruka replied firmly. "If this is going to happen, I'd rather walk."

The body Iruka leaned against relaxed suddenly and the chunin blinked. He hadn't realized Kakashi was so tensed. Curious, the younger man pushed away slightly to look up at the other's face; the jonin was so expressive that Iruka thought perhaps he'd be able to glean a reason for the odd reaction. He felt his breath sucked from his body at the smile he saw.

"Good. For a moment, I thought perhaps you meant never do _this_ again." Before Iruka had a chance to register what Kakashi was talking about, the older nin leaned in to plant a soft kiss on the instructor's lips. It was incredibly gentle and Iruka's insides melted at the light glide of the jonin's lips against his own coupled with the unbelievably soothing feel of Kakashi's fingers in his hair. Both men were content to keep it at that, neither bothering to deepen it into anything more than the light, sensual contact it was.

Iruka pulled back first, his entire face flushed. He swallowed a couple times experimentally and was glad to feel that his equilibrium seemed to have righted itself. Satisfied that the unsteadiness was at bay, he studied the slightly blushed face near his, debating what exactly he was going to do about this development. He knew they needed to sit down and have a serious conversion regarding the rapid shift in their situation. For fuck's sake, they'd only just agreed to be friends the previous night. Now they were snuggled together on the couch, Kakashi essentially petting Iruka while the chunin practically turned to goo in his arms. That wasn't platonic friendship. At least, Iruka reflected a little pragmatically, they had the "sit down" part mastered. Now he just had to initiate a conversation.

"What the hell are we doing?" he asked, his voice still husky from the kiss as Kakashi ducked his head, ghosting his lips along Iruka's jaw. It was distracting but Iruka didn't have the will to tell the jonin to stop. When a hot tongue traced the area where Iruka's neck met his jaw, the younger shinobi obediently tilted his head to one side to allow Kakashi better access. The jonin's mouth latched on, swiping a hot tongue over the already-darkening spot and bringing a quiet gasp out of Iruka.

"Technically," Kakashi's muffled voice replied, the vibrations of the sound against Iruka's neck sending a shiver down the younger man's back, "I'm sucking on your neck." As if to make his point, Kakashi increased the suction briefly. "If there's somewhere else you'd like me to put my mouth, though…"

Iruka's eyes widened as Kakashi bit down, his hands flying up to tangle in the messy silver of the jonin's hair. He wasn't certain he'd heard the other man correctly but his body responded to what he thought was implied. The quilt slipped off his shoulders to pool on the couch but Iruka ignored it. He yanked Kakashi's mouth off his neck with a tug at the hair, holding him just far enough away that Iruka could fully see the Copy-Nin's features but not so far that he couldn't feel the wash of hot breath against his face.

"You know that's not what I meant," Iruka murmured. He was going for reproachful but fell far short of the mark at the look Kakashi was giving him. How could one single desire-filled gaze turn Iruka's brain to mush? He licked suddenly dry lips, watching as Kakashi's eye trailed the movement of the younger man's tongue.

"You really want to talk about this now?" Kakashi's fingers tangled further into Iruka's hair, his other hand rubbing absently at the chunin's hip. Iruka swallowed multiple times as his mind focused on the sensation of the idly stroking thumb running along the crease where his leg met his torso. It was dangerously close to Iruka's rapidly hardening groin. The hand moved slightly to trace feather-light touches along the length of Iruka's thigh before retreating back up to the hip. Iruka's mind went blank momentarily as that hand traveled up, the tips exploring the lines of the chunin's lean muscles. When that same teasing thumb ran repeatedly over the pert nub of Iruka's nipple, the man drew in a sharp breath and closed his eyes. He marveled briefly at how a mere touch from the jonin could leave him feeling heady and weak; he hadn't realized how complacent his sex life with Hiro had become. It had been downright mechanical compared to this, and Kakashi hadn't even done anything yet besides touch him.

Did he really want to talk about it right then? Iruka forced his eyes open once more, taking a few deep breaths. Kakashi was moving toward him again, starting to duck his head to reattach himself to the chunin's neck but Iruka put a firm hand on the upper part of the jonin's chest, preventing him from reaching his target. A flicker of disappointment rippled across Kakashi's face as Iruka regarded him through half-closed eyes. He took in the red tinge of the older shinobi's cheeks, the kiss-swollen lips, and the heavily lidded eye, the gray dark with arousal – although his hitai-ate was absent, Kakashi kept his left eye respectfully closed. Slowly, Iruka let the hand on Kakashi's chest slide upward. It caught briefly at the material of the jonin's mask and, with a deft yank, Iruka removed the last of Kakashi's garments; he silently rationalized the action by telling himself that it wasn't fair that he had to be completely exposed while Kakashi got to keep his mask. It didn't matter that Kakashi wasn't really wearing it.

Satisfied with the Copy-Nin's completely nakedness, Iruka moved his hand to run over the other man's chin. There was a faint stubble there, practically invisible due to its silver coloration. Carefully, Iruka let his fingers touch the face before him, running his thumb over the lips, scraping his nails gently against the fine hairs on Kakashi's cheek. He traced a line across the bridge of the older nin's nose where the mask usually sat. The eyebrows twitched together slightly in confusion at Iruka's odd scrutiny and the corners of Kakashi's lips turned downward. A furrow formed in his forehead with the expression, lines deepening around his mouth.

Kakashi had shown Iruka that face only a night before. Had it really been so recently? Iruka studied it closely, trying to come to some sort of conclusion. Why had Kakashi dropped the mask? So few people were privy to the view beneath the cloth and yet he had trusted Iruka with the knowledge of what he really looked like. Iruka had the feeling that sharing that face wasn't the only thing Kakashi had entrusted to the instructor lately; the jonin had opened up a little bit and that was something Iruka knew Kakashi just did not do to people. It was significant and Iruka was certain it meant that Kakashi believed Iruka was worthy of a level of trust few were granted.

So did he really want to talk about what was going on right then? Iruka moved his other hand to cup one of the pale cheeks. His thumb smoothed over the crease next to Kakashi's lips and the chunin hummed low in his throat when the older man turned slightly to draw the digit into his mouth. Kakashi's tongue licked slowly over it and Iruka pulled it out with a soft pop. No. No, he most definitely did _not_ want to talk about it right then.

The chunin caught Kakashi off guard as he pushed forward suddenly, capturing his mouth. The momentum of Iruka's movement, paired with the fact that Kakashi had not been bracing himself for impact, knocked the older man onto his back. The instructor followed without breaking the contact, catching his weight on the armrest behind Kakashi's head to prevent him from landing his full bulk on top of the other man.

Strong arms wrapped around Iruka, hands roving over the tanned skin. Fingers massaged the taut muscles of the younger nin's back, down his sides, along his thighs. The chunin groaned into Kakashi's mouth as those same fingers found a grip on his ass, squeezing firmly.

Iruka vaguely realized, as he rolled his erection against the man below him, eliciting a muffled grunt from Kakashi as their stiffened members brushed, that tomorrow was probably going to be very awkward. He also knew, as Kakashi's hands moved to grip his hips, shoving his pelvis upwards to repeat the delicious contact, that he just didn't give a damn about the consequences of their current actions. He broke away from the jonin's mouth, pulling back just far enough to watch Kakashi's face as he drove his hips downward again, grinding against him. The Copy-Nin's eyes were both closed, his brow drawn tight as they rocked together. Small, barely audible gasps left the jonin's lips, his breath hitching with each languid thrust.

Kakashi's eye peeled open as if realizing he was being watched. The dark gray orb caught and held Iruka's brown ones, the lid fluttering almost closed as the chunin increased the pressure. With a growl, Kakashi's head snapped up, his mouth latching back onto Iruka's neck. His hands left Iruka's hips to tangle in the loose brown tresses falling over the chunin's shoulders, pulling the hair away from the sun-kissed neck. Kakashi's lips lingered there only briefly before roaming down to the other man's shoulder, nipping, licking, and sucking intermittently as he drank in the taste of the teacher's skin. There was a frustrated growl from the jonin and Iruka suddenly found himself on his back, staring up at the predatory leer of the older nin; not that he minded the change of position. He was a little confused though, and rather disappointed, when Kakashi backed off, taking his weight completely from Iruka's body.

The older man straddled Iruka's knees, gazing down at the dark-haired shinobi. Iruka registered a fierce type of hunger in the Copy-Nin's eyes and started when he realized the sharingan was open and spinning wildly.

"Kakashi," he started uneasily as the red orb roved over the sight of Iruka's naked and entirely aroused body. It lingered on Iruka's engorged cock and he felt himself twitch in response. He wet suddenly dry lips with the tip of his tongue, feeling a mixture of frustration and arousal as Kakashi merely looked down at him. Iruka wanted to be touched again and silently willed that mouth to return to his.

"You have no idea," Kakashi murmured from where his sat, his hands running up and down the sides of Iruka's thighs, "how delicious you look right now." He bowed over, sliding partially up Iruka's body to plant an open-mouthed kiss on the flat planes of the chunin's stomach. "Just want to…" his tongue flicked out to trace the edge of a hard muscle, "…just need to taste you."

The hot feel of the jonin's mouth against his skin sent tremors through Iruka's body. He let his head fall back against the armrest of the couch. His eyes closed as he felt Kakashi's voice rumble against his abs. He did his best to ignore the auditory inputs he was receiving, letting his body feel the jonin's movements more than see them. Iruka shuddered involuntarily as teeth scraped gently against his skin, Kakashi's hands running lazily up and down his sides. Abruptly, the jonin backed away again, leaving Iruka flushed. The younger man could still feel the traces of Kakashi's fingers on his sensitized skin and he wriggled impatiently at the lack of contact. He started to open his eyes, hands reaching toward Kakashi to pull him back when the jonin's actions interrupted whatever Iruka was trying to accomplish.

A hot wetness closed over the head of the chunin's member and Iruka let out a silent gasp. Half-lidded eyes opened fully and snapped down to watch, mesmerized, as the jonin drew as much of Iruka into his mouth as he dared. The silvered head drew back slowly, eliciting a straggled moan from Iruka's lips as an intense suction accompanied the movement. He repeated the motion and the chunin's hands clenched spasmodically at the couch cushions. Iruka's head landed back on the armrest, his eyes screwed shut as he felt teeth scrape ever-so-slightly against the sensitive head of his cock before the entire length was taken back in. Fingers wrapped around the base of his shaft, pumping with the same torturously slow motions as Kakashi's mouth.

It had been such a long time since Iruka had received a blowjob – Hiro had never really liked giving them – that he felt himself approaching his release a lot sooner than he'd have liked. Kakashi was devastatingly talented with that mouth and it was all the chunin could do to try to maintain some semblance of control over his body, staving off an orgasm that he was not ready to have yet. He was starting to lose the battle when the heat of Kakashi's mouth left him. Iruka let out an indignant squawk at the sudden loss of suction and glared at the rakish grin plastered on the jonin's face.

"Breathe, 'Ru," Kakashi murmured. The head dipped down and tiny kisses were placed along Iruka's hardened length. A teasing tongue flicked out a couple times before licking up the shaft, delving into the slit on the top of his head. Iruka groaned, his head rolling back again at the sensation. The jonin's mouth removed itself again and the younger man took the lapse in contact to try and regain control of himself, shoving down the nearly-eminent orgasm threatening to break. He could feel it start to ebb and sighed contentedly, looking forward to the return of the buildup. There was an odd sound that Iruka thought was reminiscent of spitting but he immediately dismissed it as unimportant as Kakashi pulled the tanned man's length back into his mouth; the logical part of the chunin's brain figured the Copy-Nin probably had gotten hair on his tongue or something.

A second later, Iruka's hands latched onto Kakashi's shoulders, nails digging in automatically as something slick slipped between his lower cheeks, rubbing against the tight sphincter in tiny, pressured circles. The jonin paused and glanced up at Iruka, one brow quirked. The head of Iruka's dick was still in his mouth and he started rolling his tongue over the tip in leisurely caresses. The quizzical expression on his face questioned Iruka's response and, slowly, the chunin relaxed his fingers, pulling his arms back up to rest near his head against the arm of the couch, hands dangling over the edge. The tongue continued to swirl and, as soon as Iruka had relaxed, the finger copied the movements lower down.

Forcing himself to breathe, Iruka focused on the incredibly tasty feeling washing over him from the dual ministrations. He tensed again as the pressure increased and sucked in a sharp breath as the rubbing digit pressed past the tight circle of muscles, invading him. Kakashi dived down on Iruka's member once more, keeping a constant rhythm that matched the almost lazy way he pulled the finger out and pushed it back in.

Feeling slightly uncomfortable at the intruding digit, Iruka jerked his hips slightly. "Shi-" he half-choked on the word as the motion caused Kakashi to bump something internally that sent chills racing along Iruka's spine. A low chuckle from Kakashi's throat rumbled against his hardness, making Iruka buck again. The finger pressed firmly against the prostate, coaxing a deep groan from the chunin's throat.

Kakashi sucked hard up the length of the engorged cock before letting it fall out of his mouth, the finger pulling free as well. Iruka started to protest but paused as he watched Kakashi spit onto the previously occupied hand. Realization dawned on the younger man that was the source of the slickness. It was a second after his revelation that he put together just _why _Kakashi had spat again. A second point of pressure joined the first and Iruka squeezed his eyes shut at the sting of a second finger sliding into him. He was not used to that and drew a deep breath in through his nose, forcing himself to relax. He knew his body would adjust quickly if he allowed it to do so; the fact that Kakashi had started bobbing over his dick again certainly helped.

The jonin's pace picked up slightly and, within moments, Iruka found himself pushing back, head flung onto the armrest. His breath started to come in short pants, throaty moans gasping out with each inward thrust of Kakashi's fingers. He could feel the pressure building up quickly in his loins and grabbed at the back of the couch with one hand, desperate for something to hold onto. He hardly registered the third finger enter him as a thumb was pushed against his perineum. Iruka's free hand found and tangled in the swaying gray hair of the Copy-Nin, his eyes closing tightly. His brain was immediately assaulted with the intensified mental representation of Kakashi's head bobbing over his throbbing member. The simple act of blocking out the visual input and allowing his brain to fully process the image pushed Iruka over the edge. Eyes snapping open, he arched suddenly, lips parting as a wordless cry escaped him. The hand in Kakashi's hair shoved the Copy-Nin's head down over his cock as Iruka released his essence into the talented mouth.

Iruka felt pleasantly numb and entirely brain dead as he slowly retracted his hands from their grips. He rubbed his face shakily, taking a few deep breaths as he felt Kakashi pull back from his body. "Holy…" the chunin panted, running his hands up through his hair. "Holy fuck, Ka…kashi…" He watched, transfixed, as Kakashi ducked his head slightly. A line of whitish liquid dribbled out of the other man's mouth onto his hand as Iruka's already flushed cheeks tried to blush further at the sight. Iruka didn't blame him, though; the younger man wasn't terribly fond of the taste of semen, either, and probably would have spit it out had their roles been reversed. With a contented smile, Iruka laid his head back down on the armrest, imagining going down on Kakashi. He did owe it to the jonin to return the gesture. Iruka started to lick his lips when a new sensation caused his head to whip back upright.

Iruka experienced a fleeting surge of alarm as the large and blunt tip of Kakashi's cock pressed into him. His brain argued that they needed lube; what the fuck was the crazy jonin doing? Then, as the member slid forward with a wet glide, Iruka made a connection between what he'd seen seconds ago and what the Copy-Nin was doing; Kakashi was using the chunin's cum as a lubricant.

Breathing heavily, Iruka winced at the feeling of the hard shaft pushing into him. His breath hitched at the painful intrusion and, grimacing, he clutched at the older man, eyes squeezed tightly shut. This wasn't expected; he wasn't mentally prepared for penetration. He'd gone along with the fingering but he hadn't honestly expected Kakashi to take him like that. He didn't realize the jonin had stopped until he felt a hand pass over his face, wiping off tears Iruka hadn't known were squeezing out from the corners of his eyes.

"'Ru?" Kakashi's breath ghosted over his ear, the voice full of concern. "Iruka."

Iruka opened his eyes and turned his head to look up at the jonin. Kakashi's face was so close their noses were almost touching. The mismatched eyes studied Iruka's expression, a perplexed look obvious on the older man's features. Neither man moved for a breath as gray and red searched deep brown for understanding. As if a light bulb clicked on in Kakashi's brain, his eyebrows shot into his hairline.

"Shit," he breathed out, startling Iruka with the half-panicked tone. "Shit, you were seme."

Slowly, Iruka nodded, his eyes wide. His voice caught in his throat, sounding more like a hiccough than the hum of confirmation he had been aiming for.

"This isn't… is this your…" Kakashi continued, having obvious difficulty finding his words. If Iruka hadn't been in a state of shock from the fact that Kakashi was _inside _him, he would have found the suddenly inarticulate jonin adorable. As it was, he had larger, harder, and rather uncomfortable things to deal with. "You've done this before, right?" the jonin finally managed to ask. Just as slowly, Iruka shook his head negative; he had never been on the receiving end and, up until about twenty seconds ago, his ass had been a virgin.

"Fuck, 'Ru… I'm sorry. You didn't say… and I thought… shit." Kakashi winced guiltily, drawing his bottom lip between his teeth. Gradually, obviously doing his best to not hurt the instructor below him, Kakashi started to draw back. He stopped the moment Iruka flinched, still half-buried in the younger man. The chunin's arms tightened around Kakashi's shoulders, preventing him from moving without having to resort to force. Confusion joined the trepidation on Kakashi's face as he gazed down at the tight expression on the Academy ninja's features.

Iruka was terribly torn about the entire situation. Yes, he had been the top in his previous relationship but he didn't really have any desire to dominate Kakashi the same way he did Hiro. He wanted to make the silver-haired jonin moan and writhe like Kakashi had done to him not long ago, but he didn't feel like being the one particularly in charge. Despite the discomfort and the shock of the situation, Iruka realized he didn't really regret the position they were currently in. Taking a deep breath to steel himself from what could very well be a mistake, Iruka arched his hips up slightly. Kakashi's eyes widened a bit as the movement caused him to slide back in a fraction. At the last second, the older man angled his hips upward. Iruka bit off a startled groan as the head of Kakashi's penis rubbed tantilizingly against his prostate.

Both men froze again while Iruka tried to calm his breathing. He caught the jonin's eyes again, chest heaving from the adrenaline pumping through his veins. He gave the older man a barely perceivable nod of encouragement, arching again.

"Are you sure?" Kakashi's low voice rumbled in Iruka's ear. "Once we start this, I'm not sure I can stop again."

Iruka blinked at the huskiness in Kakashi's voice. He could hear the strain in the other man's tone and sucked in a breath. He hadn't registered how much control Kakashi must have been exerting to remain as still as he had. Iruka shoved aside a niggling ounce of fear that was trying to invade his mind, tightened his arms around Kakashi's shoulders, and nodded against the older man's shoulder. It was all the prompting the other shinobi needed.

The uncomfortably full feeling Iruka had experienced while they'd held still was replaced with a sharp sting as the jonin started to gently rock into him. Iruka clenched his teeth together, working hard to keep himself from expressing any pain with each languid thrust into his tight passage. Kakashi took it slowly, pushing in carefully to stimulate the delicate bundle of nerves that would add an aspect of pleasure to the act. Iruka marveled again at Kakashi's control and, gradually, he started to relax as the pain ebbed away.

Shortly after Iruka started to move encouragingly against the older man, lifting his hips with each plunge of Kakashi's member and moaning brokenly with each jab against his prostate, Kakashi's pace increased. The older man's hips jerked in a spasm and Iruka vaguely realized that Kakashi's finite control over the situation was slipping. The other man was panting heavily in his ear, his face buried in the chunin's neck. Strong, pale arms were wrapped tightly around the younger nin's body, helping to elevate the tanned hips off the cushion below. A tiny smirk found its way to Iruka's lips and, experimentally, he moaned wantonly into Kakashi's ear.

The older man grunted in response, the hitch in his rhythm more pronounced. He _was _losing his control. Iruka felt his stomach clench in anticipation, wanting nothing more at that moment than to watch the carefully composed man driven over the brink. He bucked his hips up and repeated the noise, low and seductive, swiping his tongue over the outer rim of Kakashi's ear as he did so.

"Fuck," Kakashi growled, pressing his face into Iruka's shoulder. "If you're going to make sounds like that, I'm not going to last-"

Iruka let out a throaty groan, hands sliding down to grip at Kakashi's ass. He pushed down with both hands as he arched his hips up, biting the older nin's earlobe. It had the desired effect and, with a half-swallowed oath, Kakashi reared back a bit from the younger man. His hands gripped Iruka's hips almost painfully as his rhythm broke into near-sporadic thrusts. With a strangled cry, his pelvis snapped taut against the chunin as he came hard into the younger nin. Iruka's eyes slid closed as he felt the odd, new sensation of Kakashi's member pulsing inside him, his own voice mingling with Kakashi's as he moaned at the other man's orgasm. The pale nin slowly rocked his hips a few last times, coaxing the last few spasms out of his body before dropping his weight down onto the equally exhausted man underneath him.

Iruka was entirely spent, his body feeling limp and his mind hazy in the aftermath. He couldn't recall the last time sex had left him feeling so leaden and so utterly satisfied. He hardly even recognized the weight of Kakashi's body collapsed on top of him. By the time the older ninja pulled out and vanished into the bathroom to get a damp cloth, Iruka had slipped into an easy doze. The feeling of the warm washcloth running over his softening genitals roused him briefly and he found himself staring into the sated eyes of the jonin.

"Bedtime?" the chunin mumbled. He heard more than saw Kakashi chuckle. To his surprise, strong arms slipped under his back and knees, lifting him off the couch. He started to protest but a set of soft lips cut him off. Iruka tasted mint and felt a little startled that he'd nodded off long enough for Kakashi to brush his teeth. A small, still cognitive part of his mind silently thanked the older man for the consideration; he really didn't need to taste his own cum.

He was almost asleep again by the time his head touched his pillow. He vaguely registered the feeling of a warm body curled up behind him as the blankets were drawn up just past his waist. A strong arm draped itself over his hip and Iruka let his eyes shut, slipping into the oblivion of sleep.

* * *

Iruka floated out of sleep, feeling a strange mix of incredibly sore and entirely fulfilled. It took him a solid minute of staring at the back of his eyelids to recall exactly why he felt that way. With a startled gasp, he bolted upright in bed, hands fisted into the blankets on either side of his legs. Iruka glanced around quickly and felt a pang of something indescribably horrid twist his insides when he saw he was alone. He thought he could recall Kakashi curling around him before he'd fallen asleep but there was no sign of the Copy-Nin in the bed. Running a hand under the blanket to his right, Iruka noted that the bed wasn't even remotely warm.

The chunin squeezed his eyes tightly shut, digging the palms of both hands against the lids. Of course he was alone. What had he expected? Kakashi had probably climbed out of bed the moment Iruka had fallen asleep, gathered his things, and left. Avoidance seemed to be part of how the jonin functioned. He'd known the morning would be awkward so he'd left before Iruka had woken up. Cursing fluently under his breath, Iruka let his hands drop into his lap, trying to make sense of how exactly he felt about that. If he was honest with himself, it hurt. _A lot._ Worse, even, than it had when Hiro would fuck and run.

"You're a fucking idiot," Iruka berated himself, forcing his legs to swing out over the side of the bed. "Why didn't you stop it before it went too far? It was too fast. Way too fast." He cursed again, pulling on a pair of sweatpants he found on the floor. He didn't bother with a shirt as he moved toward his bedroom door. He needed a hot shower and a good dose of perspective. He probably just screwed up a promising friendship by thinking with his dick last night. "Fucking _moron_," Iruka continued as he yanked his bedroom door open.

The young man paused on the threshold of his room, one foot halfway out the door. Was that… was that bacon? Did his house smell like… _bacon_?

Befuddled, Iruka moved quickly into the main area of the apartment. His jaw nearly hit the floor as his eyes fell on the figure standing in the kitchen, a pair of tongs in his hands. Wearing only a pair of boxer shorts and an eye-patch, Kakashi was humming gently under his breath, flipping the pork-strips in the sizzling skillet. The appearance of the chunin caused the older nin to smile warmly.

"I made bacon and pancakes," he announced, holding the tongs up to indicate the action. There was a stack of flapjacks sitting on a plate on the counter top nearby. After a silence that was decidedly too long, Kakashi flipped another bacon strip. "Unless you'd rather have eggs?"

"You're still here," Iruka replied, amazed.

Kakashi looked decidedly taken aback. He glanced between Iruka and the skillet. "Uhm. I wasn't aware I was supposed to leave." The gray eye became suddenly guarded as Kakashi deliberately turned off the stove and set the pan on a back burner. He placed the tongs on the countertop and started to make his way toward the couch to where his pack leaned. He didn't make it more than a step before Iruka's hand caught his wrist. Raising his brow, Kakashi turned to face the chunin and was met by the younger man's mouth. His arms instantly wrapped around Iruka's body, pulling him against his chest. The kiss only lasted a few seconds but Kakashi did not release the other shinobi after their lips parted.

"I'm glad you're still here," Iruka replied honestly, not hiding the relief he felt.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Kakashi returned quietly. "Damn, after last night I'd hoped for a repeat performance."

Iruka's lips twisted downward and he would have socked Kakashi in the arm if he hadn't been too busy running his fingers through the silver locks on the jonin's head. "We have a lot we need to talk about," Iruka told him firmly.

Kakashi looked like he was about to argue but the level glare from Iruka clammed him up. The Copy-nin nodded a couple times instead and squeezed the younger nin gently. "After breakfast," he suggested, planting a surprisingly tender kiss on the tan forehead. Iruka nodded his consent and, shoving aside the disappointed feeling he had when Kakashi released him, moved to set the table.

* * *

**AN: **Yeah, I know it's a bit shorter than the last four chapters, but I just wrote you guys a fucking 6,800 word sex scene. Deal. ;P


	11. Chapter 11

**AN: **Ni hao ma.

**Warnings: **After last chapter? Are you shitting me? You still want some sort of warning? Well, then, beware the strong language! Oooooo.

**Notes: **I was listening to my Pandora "Mumford" station and Lily Allen's "Who'd Have Known" came on. (The original, not that bastardization that involves rap that someone did recently). It seemed oddly appropriate and I had a giggle fit.

**Additional: **Thank you to everyone for the reassurances that I didn't botch the previous chapter. I'm incredibly grateful for your support. Meg, I fixed the double-review posting after I laughed a bit. ^_^ Thanks also to those who caught more of my silly typos. I've fixed them all up. I think I need to start saving the posted versions on my computer, though, just in case I get hit by the icky purge. I'd hate to have to go through and find all the damn typos again!

**Also: **After seeing it on someone else's profile (yes, I'll actually read writer/reviewer profiles) I've decided to start a Progress Counter for "Gifts" (and any subsequent stories I write) that lets you guys know what the current word-count is for the in-process chapter. It'll give you an idea of the wait-time for the next update.

**Shameless Plug: **If you're bored after reading this, hop on over to my profile. I have the start of a short story posted.

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**Chapter Eleven: In Which Hekai Gets Some News and Iruka Gets Very Angry**

Breakfast was gone. The dishes were all washed and set out to dry. Both men had taken much needed showers to wash the previous evening from their skin. Iruka didn't have desk duty until that afternoon and Kakashi had given Team Seven the morning off as it was Saturday. There were no papers or tests to grade, no mission reports to fill out, no laundry that was in desperate need of washing. There was absolutely nothing left to distract them from the much needed discussion Iruka had mentioned before they had sat down to eat.

Knowing they couldn't put it off any longer, both shinobi stood in the living area of the main room, looking at each other over the back of the couch. Iruka thought he should probably sit down on the furniture but an unbidden blush threatened to creep onto his face at the thought of sitting there with Kakashi. After all, the last time he'd sat there with the older man, it had ended with sex. Good sex. Extremely good sex.

Iruka mentally shook the thoughts from his mind. He didn't need to be getting distracted when they really did have some things to discuss. With a resigned sigh, the school teacher leaned his forearms on the back of the couch as Kakashi perched himself on the cushions. The jonin raised a questioning eyebrow and motioned toward the seat invitingly.

"I think I'll stand for now," Iruka murmured, avoiding the narrowed look Kakashi sent him. He saw the hand reach toward him but wasn't quite fast enough to avoid it. Cursing the jonin's speed, Iruka's world view skewed briefly as he was pulled over the back of the couch. He landed with a soft thwump on the cushion next to the Copy-Nin. The older man chuckled at the grouchy glare Iruka shot him and released the younger nin's wrist, sitting back against the armrest in a lazy slouch.

"You'll be much more comfortable here," Kakashi said by way of explanation. He shifted slightly, drawing one leg up onto the seat so he could rest his forearm on his knee. Iruka did not respond and they lapsed into a surprisingly comfortable silence while the chunin gathered his thoughts. Finally, the younger man sighed deeply and ran a hand through the loose locks of his hair; he had not bothered to tie it up that morning.

"What in the world are we doing?" he asked heavily, brushing the strands behind his ears with practiced fingers. He cast an unsure glance at Kakashi, trying to gauge the other man's feelings. The expressive lips were pursed thoughtfully as Kakashi looked back. He opened his mouth to speak but Iruka cut him off. "If you're about to answer that in a literal sense, I'm going to pound you," he threatened, eyes narrowing. "I'm well aware that we're sitting on my couch."

The pale jaw snapped shut and the mischievous twinkle faded from Kakashi's eye, replaced with a look that Iruka could only describe as hungry. "Well, Iruka," he murmured, the corners of his mouth starting to twitch up in a smirk, "I'm not usually the submissive kind but if you really want to then 'pound' away."

Iruka's mouth worked for a second before his voice did. With a scowl, he punched Kakashi in the thigh. "I'm being serious!" he snapped.

"So am I," the jonin replied evenly. He received another glower from the chunin before he lifted both hands in surrender. "Okay, I'm sorry. Can you blame me?"

"Yes," Iruka muttered before running his hands over his face and back through his hair again. "Kakashi," he continued, the seriousness of his tone leaving no room for further teasing, "I need to know what's going on here. Last night… I don't do that sort of thing."

"You don't do what 'sort of thing?'" Kakashi prompted quietly. His expression had turned guarded and Iruka sighed heavily.

"I don't just have sex with random people," he bit out, rubbing one hand over his eyes. "Not that you're a random person but the principle is the same," Iruka amended quickly. He flopped back against the armrest on his side of the couch, staring resolutely at the ceiling. "I don't sleep with my friends. What do you want from me? What was last night?"

The silence that greeted his question started to stretch thin. Iruka glanced over at the Copy-Nin to make sure he was still sitting there. He couldn't read any emotion from Kakashi's face and it made Iruka somewhat nervous. He probably could have handled the situation a little less frankly but sometimes being to-the-point was far more effective in getting the answers he needed.

"Well?" Iruka prompted when Kakashi still failed to say anything.

The jonin sighed then, shifting his position a little so he more fully faced the younger man. "You want the complete, unabridged truth?" he asked calmly.

Iruka's lips thinned. He nodded once and held the gray-eyed gaze firmly. He wasn't certain what he was expecting to hear and did his best to not come to any conclusions until the other man had a chance to say his piece.

"I think we both want the same things." Kakashi laid an arm along the back of the couch, letting his leg slip off the edge. "Or, more specifically, we both don't want the same things."

"That's the unabridged truth?" Iruka asked incredulously, shaking his head. "One of these days I'm going to get a straight answer out of you."

"You want me to be blunt?" Kakashi's eye narrowed sternly and he continued before Iruka had a chance to answer the question. "I don't want a boyfriend. I have no interest in a labeled relationship with anyone. Right now, I'm pretty certain you don't want those things, either."

Iruka's fish impression was getting a lot of practice lately. He forcefully closed his mouth and stared at the jonin. Although he wasn't sure what he'd wanted to hear Kakashi say, Iruka was surprised to feel relieved at the other's words. There was also a pang of disappointment mixed with the mortification that he was probably going to lose a friend over their mistake. "How do you know what I would want?" he managed to ask while attempting to sort through the conflicting feelings.

"You don't hide your emotions well," Kakashi answered.

"Fine." Iruka's tone was more petulant than he'd intended, miffed that Kakashi claimed to be able to read him so easily. He looked away, fixing his eyes on some invisible point in the kitchen. "What do I want then?"

"A friend."

Kakashi's reply startled Iruka and the younger man blinked rapidly as the truth behind those words triggered something inside him akin to hope. It was instantly quashed, though. "Well, I fucked that one up then."

It was Kakashi's turn to look surprised, his eyebrow darting upward. "You're still my friend, Iruka." The Copy-nin's soft voice drew the teacher's gaze back to the older man. "Nothing has changed."

Iruka started to say something but he couldn't form a coherent word. He managed to get an "Uh" out before Kakashi interrupted. The jonin's tone was still gentle and when he placed a hand on Iruka's shoulder, the chunin did not pull away. "If you need to assign something to what happened last night, call it a comfort."

"Comfort?" Iruka flushed a deep red as images of the previous evening flashed through his mind. The physical discomfort aside, Iruka wouldn't call having sex with Kakashi a mere act of comfort. Mind-blowing satisfaction, yes. _Comfort_? That was definitely not the right word for it.

"We've both had incredibly shitty weeks." The hand on his shoulder shifted to push errant strands of hair behind Iruka's ear. The older ninja scooched a cushion closer, his thigh bumping the other man's leg. "We needed some sort of release and, seeing the opportunity, we took it." The hand ran along Iruka's jaw and took hold of his chin, tilting it slightly upward so they would maintain eye contact. "I still want to be your friend and I would hope we're both adult enough to recognize that two friends can, on occasion, go beyond the normal boundaries of their relationship without things getting awkward."

"Uhm," Iruka replied thickly. His heart thudded rather uncomfortably in his chest at how close Kakashi was right then. He mentally shook himself and managed to utter a few coherent words. "Okay. And what if it gets awkward?"

"It'll only be awkward if we make it awkward." Kakashi released Iruka's chin and sat back, regarding the younger man with a half-closed eye. "I don't make a habit of sleeping with my friends, either," he continued reassuringly. "I'd really like to not lose your friendship over this, if it's all the same to you."

Iruka nodded a couple times, forcing himself to not rub at his chin; he could still feel the warmth from Kakashi's fingers. He sighed, the sound carrying the relief he felt that Kakashi still wanted his friendship. "I'd like that," he said honestly. They lapsed into silence for a few minutes as Iruka looked back toward the kitchen. "Now what?" he asked quietly.

"You mentioned pounding."

Kakashi's helpful comment was met by Iruka's fist against his bicep. "Trying _not_ to let things get awkward," the chunin snapped, repeating the punch a few times for good measure. He was inwardly pleased that Kakashi didn't bother blocking the hits. He knew very well that the jonin was fast enough to have dodged without any effort.

"Well, friends or not, after last night you can't really blame a guy for wanting seconds." The Copy-Nin's voice was teasing and Iruka did his best to not crack a smile. A tiny blush crept onto the younger nin's face, though, at the thought that Kakashi had enjoyed himself as much as Iruka had. He wondered fleetingly if going back for more would really change the dynamic of their relationship now that they'd established that the previous evening's sex wasn't going to ruin their chances of being friends.

"I agreed to be your friend. I didn't sign up for the benefits package," Iruka said instead, smirking as he stood from the couch. He started to head for the kitchen, his mind already moving to settle on the jug of sun-tea in his refrigerator.

"Huh, now _there's _an idea." Kakashi stood as well, a contemplative look on his features. Iruka paused in the kitchen, one hand on the cupboard housing his glasses. He glanced back at Kakashi, brow furrowed at the oddly sincere tone in the older man's voice.

"What?" Iruka started moving again, pulling down a glass. He held it up toward Kakashi in a silent question then snagged a second cup at the other man's nod. He busied himself with filling them with the ice from the freezer and tea from the 'fridge. "What's an idea?"

There was a sudden presence behind him and Iruka nearly dropped both glasses as Kakashi's hand reached forward to curl around Iruka's, holding the chunin's hand to the cup. "Friends with benefits." His breath was hot against Iruka's ear and the younger man suppressed the shiver that wanted to run down his spine at the sensation.

"Don't be ridiculous." Iruka tried to extract his hand from under the pale fingers of the older shinobi but realized the only way to do so would probably cause him to drop the glass. He stilled as Kakashi's other hand slid over his hip. The slightly taller nin's body pressed firmly against his back, their similar heights making the position feel comfortably natural. "Kakashi," the smaller man started warningly as the hand on his let go and moved to rest on his other hip.

"Iruka," Kakashi replied in the same tone.

"Did we not just agree five seconds ago that we were going to remain friends and keep this as un-awkward as possible?" The chunin carefully set both glasses down on the countertop and turned, glad that Kakashi didn't try to prevent the motion. The Copy-Nin's hands replaced themselves on Iruka's hips, though, once the younger man was facing him. "You can't just change your mind sudden-mffph."

Iruka was effectively cut off as Kakashi captured the instructor's mouth with his own. The kiss was brief but incredibly aggressive, the jonin biting down on the chunin's bottom lip before pulling away to gaze into the flushed face of the younger man. Iruka took a few deep breaths, looking away from the satisfied expression on Kakashi's face. He started when he realized his hands were gripping the front of the older man's shirt.

"You can't tell me that you didn't enjoy that," Kakashi murmured.

"That is entirely beside the point," Iruka snapped, releasing the fabric. He tried to back away but bumped against the counter behind him. "Friends do not jus-mmphfft!"

The second kiss was softer, coaxing. It took only a few seconds of Kakashi gently gliding his lips over Iruka's for the chunin to start reciprocating. When the older man pulled back, Iruka was unable to stop a small mewl of protest from escaping him. His cheeks tinged pink at the heady look in Kakashi's open eye. He wasn't able to formulate more than half a thought before Kakashi returned his lips to Iruka's.

"You don't want another boyfriend right now," Kakashi murmured as he ghosted tiny kisses against the younger nin's lips. "And I don't date. Period." His tongue slid along Iruka's bottom lip, followed by the scraping of his teeth. "I do find you attractive though." He delved his tongue into Iruka's mouth briefly, teasingly flicking it against Iruka's before retreating back to the little brushes of his lips. "And I can tell you share that opinion." Kakashi pulled back just enough to tilt his head the other direction. His mouth traveled away from Iruka's, along the tanned jaw line to the spot on the chunin's neck that he seemed to find particularly delicious. "So it stands to reason-" he bit down gently before swiping his tongue along the thudding pulse point, bringing a gasp to Iruka's lips "-that if we don't want to be overwhelmed with sexual frustration, we could very well be friends who also, on occasion, have sex."

Iruka fisted his hands in Kakashi's shirt once more, closing his eyes as the older ninja started to suck at the sensitive skin of his neck. With the jonin attached to him like that it was incredibly hard to argue with the logic of Kakashi's words. Iruka really _didn't _want to get into another serious relationship after having just broken up with Hiro. At the same time, he couldn't deny that every time Kakashi touched him, he felt like he was about to melt into a puddle of aroused goo. He wasn't very enthused about the idea of being a booty call, though, and finally managed to push Kakashi back half a step. Breathing deeply, Iruka thinned his lips as he tried to consider what the jonin had suggested.

"I'd like to take some time to think about it," the chunin told Kakashi firmly. "Sleeping with someone just for the hell of it isn't exactly part of who I am." Something flickered through the jonin's eye but it vanished too quickly for Iruka to interpret. He dismissed it as unimportant for the time being.

"Take whatever time you need. For now, we can just ignore last night." Kakashi pulled his hands away and gave Iruka a reassuring smile. Iruka returned it and, with a small twist, snagged both glasses of tea from the counter behind him. He offered one to the older man before sipping at his own thoughtfully.

"It's only nine in the morning," Iruka spoke, glancing at the kitchen clock. "I don't need to be at the tower until two. What time are you training?"

Kakashi scratched at his cheek, swirling the contents of his half-empty cup absently while he thought. "I think I told them to meet me at the bridge at three. Although it could have been closer to two."

The chunin raised a brow at his houseguest. "I'm starting to understand why you're always late."

"It's a gift, really." Kakashi grinned, the expression making tiny crow's-feet appear in the corner of his eye.

Iruka drank in the sight over the lip of his glass, still amazed at how expressive the other man's face was. He definitely suspected that part of the purpose of the mask was to keep that face looking a lot less readable. He made a note to ask Kakashi about it at some point in the future when they weren't sitting in a limbo between "Friends" and "Fuck Buddies."

"I have absolutely nothing to do with the rest of the morning," Iruka continued. He tapped the top of his glass against his teeth for a second before downing the rest of the drink. He placed the cup on the counter before scratching at the scar on his cheek. "Any ideas?" He realized he was probably opening the conversation back up to innuendo but he'd take that risk. He was pleasantly surprised when Kakashi actually took the question seriously.

"There were a couple things I wanted to pick up at the store that I haven't gotten around to replacing yet. If you're bored, you're welcome to come with me."

Iruka nodded a few times. "Yeah, that sounds good, actually. At some point we need to stop by the onsen and get our clothes back."

Kakashi chuckled and nodded, although something in his eye made Iruka think he looked slightly nervous about that. "Hopefully they haven't made any connections with two completely left behind sets of clothing," he murmured a second later, confirming Iruka's suspicion that Kakashi regretted leaving it there.

The younger man shrugged. "I'm sure it'll be fine. I don't label my underwear or anything. I doubt they'd notice whose it is. We'll stop by on our way back here, though. If we can't ninja our way in and get our things back unnoticed, then we don't really deserve our ranks, now do we?" Iruka sent the other man a slightly lopsided smile and Kakashi returned the expression. "Just let me get my other leaf protector and tie my hair up, then I'll be set."

"Meh, keep it down." Kakashi reached over and tugged at a lock. "You look good with it loose."

Iruka swatted his hand away impatiently but he smiled a little as the compliment caused a curl of pleasure to roil around his insides. He hated going out with his hair down – it blew in his face, made his neck sweaty, and was a general nuisance – but something in him wanted to leave it free if Kakashi liked it that way. He'd just bring the tie with him in case it got uncomfortable. Within minutes, they had donned their flak jackets, slipped on their sandals, and headed out of the apartment into the morning sunshine.

* * *

As expressive as Kakashi was without his mask on, he was incredibly adept at hiding his emotions when he wanted to. The moment Iruka had shot him down in the kitchen, a mask of indifference had settled on the older shinobi's face. In truth, he was incredibly disappointed and rather annoyed. He had offered up the perfect solution to their problem, in his mind, but Iruka was not immediately on board with the idea of being friends with benefits. Kakashi hoped that, given the time he requested, the chunin would come around.

Kakashi hadn't lied when he'd said he didn't want a serious relationship. He was also being entirely truthful when he'd told Iruka that he found the younger man quite attractive. It wasn't just the instructor's handsome face, either, that made him so tempting; he had a stellar personality. Iruka was friendly, selfless, and level-headed, despite his horrible temper. Kakashi had yet to really see that last part, though, so he couldn't really judge Iruka based on the rumor of hot-headedness. Most of what he'd witnessed from Iruka was a quiet sort of kindness and it was incredibly endearing.

Kakashi also hadn't lied when he'd said he had zero interest in being in a romantic relationship with anyone. After the disaster that was Yasu, Kakashi had washed his hands of making lasting connections on that level. He'd gotten by on his flings just fine and didn't really see much reason to change that. He'd already had a good friend that understood him so he figured he'd been set on companionship. He hadn't counted on gaining another friend that was not only attractive, but shared the same preferences. Iruka came with the added bonus that he didn't want to get romantically involved with anyone right then, either.

The Copy-Nin kicked a rock idly as he walked next to the chunin through the market district. He chanced a glance at the younger man's face; Iruka was busy reading a shopping list they'd complied before they had left the apartment. The instructor easily sidestepped a couple of children that nearly barreled into him, his ears obviously telling him exactly what was going on around them without having to look. He seemed completely at ease, despite their actions the night before and their conversation that morning. Kakashi took that as a good sign.

Really, the solution of being friends who were also open to sleeping together was perfect. They both found the other physically pleasing, they were obviously compatible in the sack if last night was any indication, they wanted to remain friends, and neither wanted an actual relationship. Plus, Kakashi noted practically, it would mean that he could finally stop having to resort to faceless fucks whenever he was away from the village; he could come home and have sex with Iruka. It was a win-win situation. He wondered how long Iruka would have to mull it over before the instructor came to that same conclusion. Kakashi bit back a sigh of impatience. He was a shinobi; he was supposed to be able to exercise extreme patience whenever it was needed. He would give Iruka all the time he needed and just do his best to be a good friend in the meantime.

A finger poked the side of his head and Kakashi blinked a couple times before looking over at the chunin. "Yes?" He was slightly disconcerted that Iruka had managed to touch him without his noticing. Kakashi chalked it up to how comfortable he felt around the younger nin. He tended to let his guard down around Iruka. He would need to try harder to not be so careless; he hated to think what would happen if an enemy took advantage of such a lapse.

"For the third time, do you mind if we stop by a book store? I finished my last one and I have nothing to read." Iruka gave him an exasperated look. "If you don't want to, though, that's fine. There's no reason to ignore me about it."

"I wasn't ignoring you," Kakashi denied. He'd just been lost in thought. "But if you need something to read, I could make a suggestion."

Iruka rolled his eyes. "If that suggestion is annoyingly orange, I'll pass."

"Suit yourself." Kakashi shrugged and followed the chunin as the younger man altered their route slightly.

He was surprised when they stopped at a fairly unobtrusive shop nestled between two civilian fashion stores. Entering it, Kakashi was hit with the instant scent of dust and old books. He looked around curiously while Iruka waved a greeting at the bookkeeper, who looked about as old and dusty as the shop smelt.

The store itself was filled with books to the point where it looked like a misplaced nudge would send a cascade of reading material to the floor. The shelves that lined the center stretched all the way to the ceiling. Every available surface was covered with books. As Kakashi started to look more closely, he noticed that, despite the chaotic feel of the store, everything was ordered with incredible accuracy. It was almost to the point of being obsessive and the Copy-Nin thought that the book shop owner was very appropriate in choosing this as a profession.

"I'm going to go browse," the jonin told his companion. At the incredulous look Iruka sent him, Kakashi let his eye arch up in a smile. "I read more than just porn."

"Uh huh." Iruka's tone wasn't convinced but he made a dismissing gesture with his hand before moving off down an aisle. It looked to Kakashi as if Iruka knew exactly what section he wanted to look in.

With a shrug, Kakashi slouched off in another direction. He let his eyes travel over the worn covers of used books, occasionally noting the presence of a brand-new copy hidden on the shelves. He wasn't really looking for anything in particular – he had restarted Icha Icha the other day and was just getting to the best part - but it didn't hurt to look for fresh reading material.

When he found himself standing in an aisle surrounded by cookbooks, all thoughts of leisure reading flew out of Kakashi's mind. He stood rooted in place, staring in unrestrained glee at a slightly worn copy of Chef Tobiko's _Magical Pan: The Best Stir-Fry of the Fire Nation. _He snagged it off the shelf and started flipping eagerly through the pages, ensuring nothing had been ripped out. It was intact and, before he really thought about it, Kakashi found himself standing next to Iruka in the Mystery genre aisle.

"Look!" he said excitedly, shoving the cookbook at Iruka. The startled chunin almost dropped it but recovered quickly.

"What's this?" Iruka asked, opening it to flip through a few of the recipes. There was a picture on every page of the delicious food and Kakashi felt his stomach start to rumble in anticipation of a good meal.

"It's my favorite," Kakashi explained, taking it back when Iruka held it out. His expression sobered slightly. "I lost mine in the fire." The smile Iruka gave him sent little butterflies into Kakashi's stomach to wrestle with the hunger-growls. He shoved them away and tucked the book under his arm as the chunin continued to browse.

"This place is great for finding just about anything you'd want to read," Iruka noted as he snatched a book from above his head. His eyes lit up and he uttered a brief "Ah-ha!" before showing it to Kakashi. "Case in point, I've been looking for this one everywhere. I should know better than to waste my time at those other shops, though. Mr. Tanochi has the best selection-" he lowered his voice conspiratorially, "-and prices in town."

"If you don't mind, I'd like to look around a bit more." Kakashi fingered the edge of the cookbook. There were quite a few written works that he'd lost in the blaze; he wanted to see what else Mr. Tanochi's shop could replace.

"Go ahead. I'm not done yet, either." Iruka shooed the Copy-Nin away with a pleased grin before turning his attention back to the shelves in front of him.

* * *

The Itou family lived in a spacious house surrounded by a lush, green lawn and a tall, ornate stone wall. Unlike the Hibei complex, which consisted of multiple buildings nestled together on the farmlands the family owned, the Itou lived in a single structure. They were city merchants and had no use for outbuildings on their home property. As only their eldest son had chosen to walk the path of a shinobi, there were no training halls within the walls. An old guest room had been renovated into a small armory but that was the extent of the modifications done to the house after Hiro had earned his hitai-ate. The lack of ninja facilities was something the young man had apologized for when the Hibei had arrived earlier that week.

Hekai hadn't really cared about that sort of thing, although his brother seemed a little put off by the fact that if he wanted to do any sort of training, he would have to do it elsewhere. The young chunin had a lot of other things on his mind since their arrival to give any sort of damn regarding their accommodations. He was happy with what they were offered. He had a clean room to sleep in and plenty of food to eat whenever he was hungry. His new brother-in-law's family was warm and receptive of their visitors. Hiro's mother went as far as to fuss over the "poor, overworked children" whenever he and his nephews returned from a training session. Considering Hekai never received so much as a hug from his parents, he rather liked the attention Mrs. Itou doted on him. Their families definitely had different ideas regarding parenting.

Boys in the Hibei clan were typically raised to be shinobi and coddling was strictly forbidden. Only Yasu had escaped the life of a ninja – he had proved completely incompetent when it came to anything relating to chakra and their parents had given up on him being anything but a farmer after he failed to show any sort of skill in the secret arts. At the time, it had suited the family, though, and he was prepped to take over the family business of managing the cabbage empire their great-grandfather had built. From what Hekai understood, Yasu had been blessed with a very pragmatic mind and was incredibly good with numbers.

Not that any of that mattered anymore. Even though his brother had passed away the previous spring, Yasu had been effectively dead to the Hibei clan for the better part of ten years. Shinji had taken over the family business instead and, as their father's health was decidedly failing, the eldest of the children had also taken control of the family affairs. He headed the household, made all the decisions, and trained both his sons and his brother to follow in his path. It was a sore point for the elder Hibei to know that the youngest constantly resisted many of his teachings. It certainly didn't help their relationship that the young boy was well on his way to being a better ninja than the elder brother.

A year ago, Shinji had signed them up for the chunin exams and told them to consider it more of a practice run so they would know what was in store for them when they were actually ready for promotion. He made it clear that he hadn't expected them to get beyond the first trial and that he thought they were all too young for the responsibility that came with the chunin rank. The shock that all three made it to the finals was quickly quashed when, of the three, Hekai had passed. The youngest, most insubordinate of the Hibei genin beat out – and quite literally beat up as they were forced to fight each other – both of Shinji's sons.

Hekai almost regretted not holding back in the arena when, after his promotion, his home life became almost unbearable. Shinji was livid that Hekai had out-shone his own children. It didn't help that Hekai had broken Gorou's leg during the final fights, and knocked Satsui unconscious for a few days. Both the older boys hadn't really forgiven him for that but Hekai had long since stopped caring what his family thought of him. He knew he wasn't really wanted.

Hekai had not been lying when he'd told Team Seven that he was an "oops." His mother was not supposed to have more children – she barely survived having Megumi – but apparently she'd had just enough left in her for one more just after turning forty. The pregnancy was a difficult one and, after Hekai was born, she had been too sickly to really take care of him. Shinji's wife, Keiko, had taken over his care but she was under strict orders from Shinji to do only what was necessary; the no coddling rule applied if they were going to make a shinobi out of the unexpected little brother.

As he'd grown, he became aware of snide jokes about him being a replacement child. When he was six, he finally asked Shinji what that was supposed to mean. It was then that he'd first heard about the disgraceful middle brother. He'd been told that Yasu was dead and that his name wasn't to be spoken in the presence of their parents. Even at such an impressionable age, Hekai hadn't understood what Yasu's crime was supposed to be but he knew enough to not ask further. The boy had learned early that it was easiest to not ask questions at all.

In the end, relying on his own intuition and information gathering abilities to answer questions had helped to hone his skills faster. It was another thorn in Shinji's side that Hekai was a natural at being a shinobi. Many would call the boy "gifted." Shinji tended to just refer to him as bothersome. The brothers typically avoided each other unless it was necessary, and that was exactly what Hekai was currently doing.

Perched on the roof of the Itou's house, Hekai watched people wander by on the street beyond the wall. He hugged his legs to his chest, his chin propped up on his knees, as he contemplated the events of the past couple days. When he'd promised Yasu he would deliver that letter, he had not imagined he would be fulfilling that oath so soon. He had carried that aging envelope around for a year, unbeknownst to Shinji, but thought he would probably have it in his possession for a much longer amount of time. He never expected to run into Kakashi in a town as huge as Konoha. He was glad that the man had taken it, although he hated having to tell Kakashi of Yasu's death. If what Yasu had told him was true, there had been love between the shinobi and the farmer.

Shaking his head, Hekai sighed and straightened his legs. Leaning back on his palms, the boy glanced up at the sky. Small, fluffy clouds ghosted by but on the horizon, a dark, ominous billow of charcoal gray loomed. It looked like Konoha was about to get a much overdue summer thunder storm. Hekai wasn't sure how fast those clouds were moving but he figured he probably had a good hour of blistering sun left before the sky darkened. He debated leaving the rooftop before he found himself sunburned; he had inherited the typical pale skin of the Hibei. At least with his hair down, he wouldn't have to worry about burning the back of his neck. He hadn't bothered cutting his hair since he met Yasu and the pale yellow strands had grown to reach well below his shoulders. Long hair on a man was another thing that irritated Shinji and, conscious or not, Hekai's decision to follow in Yasu's footsteps by growing it out was a slight against the eldest Hibei.

A noise by the front gate brought Hekai's attention back to the ground below. A messenger stood there, ringing the bell. Curious, the youngster jumped down to land just on the other side of the wall. He opened the gate and peered out at the exhausted looking man on the other side. Hekai's brows rose slightly at the hitai-ate on the man's forehead: he was a Mist nin.

"Can I help you?" Hekai asked sternly, immediately distrusting the foreign man.

"Letter for Shinji Hibei," the other shinobi replied evenly, holding out the envelope. Hekai took it with a frown. It was addressed to the Itou's house but was clearly labeled for his brother. Whoever sent it knew where they'd be staying. His eyes flicked between the messenger and the envelope.

"I'll give it to him," Hekai said shortly, doing his best to make it sound like the dismissal it was. He tucked the letter into his hip-pouch and practically slammed the gate in the face of the Mist nin. Not waiting to hear whether or not the foreign shinobi voiced any complaints, Hekai moved off the lawn and into the house, shedding his sandals in the entryway. He briefly entertained the idea of throwing the letter into the koi pond out back just to spite his brother, but immediately thought better of it. If Shinji found out, Hekai's hide would be thoroughly tanned.

With a resigned sigh, the youngest Hibei padded silently through the house and up the stairs to the second story. In a matter of moments, he stood outside Shinji's designated room. Hekai pulled out the letter and knocked lightly on the wooden shoji-style door. At the acknowledging grunt from the other side, the boy slid it open and stepped into the room.

The head of the Hibei clan sat on his futon, a lap desk balanced on his knees. He was writing figures in one of his account books and didn't even look up at Hekai when the boy entered. They were family and would recognize each others' chakra signatures without having to see one another.

Hekai didn't bother saying anything at first, flipping the envelope across the room with a flick of his wrist. Shinji caught it without even pausing in his writing, setting the letter down on the bed next to him. For a minute, the only sound was the scratching of his pen against the notebook. When Hekai remained just within the door, Shinji finally paused and glanced up, his gaze full of annoyance.

"What do you want?" The elder Hibei narrowed his eyes at the boy. Hekai returned the look with unguarded dislike.

"A _Mist _ninja dropped that off a few minutes ago." Hekai folded his arms, voice dripping with suspicion. To his surprise, Shinji's lips twisted into a smirk. The man put down his pen and snatched up the envelope, tearing into it without a word. Hekai, incredibly irritated, shifted impatiently while Shinji's eyes scanned over the letter. Eventually, the older brother laughed a couple times, the sound carrying absolutely no humor.

"How appropriate that you bring this to me," Shinji started. He moved his lap desk to one side and stood with a fluid movement. He waved the paper at the younger Hibei almost mockingly. "It deals quite heavily with you."

"What is it?" Hekai demanded immediately, brow furrowed at the letter. "And what's with the Mist ninja?"

Shinji chuckled again and toyed with the paper for a minute. He re-read it silently, the twist in his lips never once leaving his face. Hekai started to feel rather uncomfortable with the silence and was about to speak again when Shinji interrupted. "This is from an old friend of mine who has graciously agreed to a joining of our families."

Hekai felt the blood drain from his face as he stared at Shinji. "What?" he managed to force out, his throat trying to constrict over the sound.

"Kujira has a daughter he's quite willing to get rid of. She's teme but it's about all I expected for you. His older girls are either already married or have followed down his shinobi path." Shinji carefully folded the letter and stuffed it back into the envelope. Hekai wanted to smack the smug look off the older shinobi's face but he couldn't even form a coherent word, let alone move his body.

When he was finally able to make his mouth work, the only intelligible thing he could think to say was, "Why did a Mist ninja deliver it?"

"Kujira is from Kirigakure," Shinji replied simply. He did not elaborate and Hekai was too rocked to really care about how his brother was on good terms with a Mist nin. The man looked thoughtful for a moment, tapping the envelope against his chin. "I had hoped for a little more than just his bastard but oh well. This is more of a political match than a financial one. He certainly won't send much of a dowry."

"I don't want to get married." The words left Hekai's mouth before he could shove them back down. The sharp look Shinji sent his way caused the young ninja's hands to tremble and he clutched them tightly behind his back to keep the tremors from showing.

"That's too bad, now isn't it?" Shinji shifted slightly, his features darkening as he regarded the youngest Hibei.

"I'm only ten!" Hekai said again, silently berating himself for his inability to shut up. He knew better than to protest – Kakashi had been right on the bridge when he'd said Hekai was probably going to be served up as marriage fodder – but the words came unbidden to his lips. "I can't get married!"

Shinji stared at the boy as if questioning his intelligence. A sneer crossed his face and he rolled his eyes. "You won't wed until she's eighteen. According to Kujira, you have about six years to grow into the idea. Get used to it now, Hekai; you will do as you are told and marry this girl."

The boy's mouth moved a couple times without any sound before, hands fisted at his sides, he glared at his brother. "Six years? I'll only be sixteen!"

"You can count," Shinji replied sarcastically. "Good for you. Now get out of here, I have a letter to compose and you're distracting me."

Hekai did not move. He continued to glower at Shinji, mind racing for something to say. He knew it was useless to argue as much as he wanted to; Shinji was the head of the clan. If he said Hekai would marry the Mist girl, he would marry the Mist girl. There was no point in debating why Satsui or Gorou couldn't do it; there was no way Shinji would give a teme to his own sons. Hekai, the unwanted and uncooperative sibling, would bear that punishment. He deflated suddenly, fingers going slack, arms hanging at his sides. He stared at the floor, bottom lip between his teeth as Shinji chuckled. A hand pat Hekai on the top of his head.

"There's a good boy. Now, go." Shinji pointed toward the door. Hekai turned to slump from the room but paused on the threshold.

"What's her name?" he asked quietly, one hand on the shoji. He chanced a glance back at Shinji and the older nin frowned briefly, having to reopen the letter to check.

"Koori. Now _get out_."

Hekai beat a hasty retreat, not pausing until he had reached the entry way once more. He slipped on his sandals and bolted from the house. He had a lot to think about right then and the last place he wanted to be was in the same building as Shinji. In the distance, a low rumble rolled over the outskirts of town; the thunder storm was growing closer.

* * *

They were settled under a droopy willow tree beside the river, their purchases piled against the trunk. They had chosen that location as the privacy of the low-hanging branches had allowed them to share lunch without Kakashi worrying about being spotted with his mask down. Completely surrounded by a curtain of green, it felt like a tiny oasis in the middle of the busy city: calm and quiet. Iruka rather liked it and made a note to visit that spot again in the future.

The chunin, lying on his stomach with his book resting on the ground, propped his chin on his hand, his elbow digging into the soft grass as he read. Kakashi sat close by, his sandals and leg wrappings absent as he dangled his legs into the fast-flowing water near where the long branches dipped into the river. In his lap he cradled the beloved stir-fry book.

"I know exactly what we're having for dinner."

Iruka glanced up from his book only to be faced with a picture of some sort of noodle dish nearly pressed to his face. It did look rather delicious – Iruka was a sucker for a good bowl of noodles, even if it wasn't quite ramen – and the chunin peered around the edge of the cookbook at Kakashi. The jonin was smiling, his eye arching up with the expression as he pulled the book back to his lap.

"Do we need to stop by the grocer's on the way home?" the younger nin asked. He dog-eared the page he was on and closed the novel. Pushing himself up onto his knees, Iruka half-crawled closer to peer over Kakashi's shoulder at the recipe. The jonin nodded a couple times and Iruka caught the distinct scent of his own shampoo on the older shinobi. It reminded him that they were nearly out so a trip to the store would be in order anyway. Two men with longish hair seemed to burn through shampoo at an alarming rate compared to how quickly Iruka usually used it up.

Shaking his head free of the mundane thoughts, Iruka started to comment on how tasty the dish looked when a loud rumbling interrupted. Startled, Iruka stood and moved to the curtain of willow leaves, pushing them aside to gape out at the rapidly darkening sky above. He whistled low at the sight and started to turn to tell Kakashi about the swift change in the weather. He needn't have bothered, though; the Copy-Nin was standing directly behind him. He felt a blush creep onto his face as the sudden warmth of Kakashi's chest pressed against his back. A chin rested on his shoulder as Kakashi gazed up at the sky through the hanging branches.

"Maybe we should head back now before the rain arrives," the jonin suggested, turning his head slightly to look at the side of Iruka's face. The chunin glanced at Kakashi out of the corner of his eye and nodded. The warmth vanished as Kakashi stepped back to gather his sandals and re-wrap his calves, his mask snapped back into place. Iruka took a couple deep breaths and moved to pack away his book and pick up their purchases. He silently chided himself at feeling disappointed when the jonin had removed himself from the near-intimate way in which he'd pressed against his back.

Kakashi had been doing things like that all morning, invading Iruka's space with causal – and sometimes not so casual - touches and it was seriously distracting. Iruka had been doing his best to give Kakashi's proposition the careful consideration it needed but every time the Copy-Nin "accidentally" brushed Iruka's backside or ran his fingers along Iruka's knuckles, the Academy teacher's brain would derail. Part of him wanted to tell Kakashi to knock it off so he could concentrate. The other part of him told the first to shove it; he was honestly enjoying the sly attention.

Iruka promptly pushed those thoughts out of his head as they exited the quiet little sanctuary of the willow tree. They walked quickly to the grocer's, each keeping an eye on the dark and grumbling sky above them; the last thing either nin wanted was to be caught out in the rain those clouds were promising. Around them, other people seemed to have the same idea as the citizens of Konoha rushed to finish their errands.

They made fast work of the grocer's and were halfway back to Iruka's apartment when their progress was waylaid. An ANBU appeared suddenly in front of them, startling Iruka slightly. ANBU had always made him a little nervous to begin with and he hated it when they just poofed into existence with hardly any notice. Their flickers were so quick, his sonar had a difficult time keeping up. Anyone else Iruka could more or less predict their arrival but ANBU… ANBU were a whole other entity.

"Kakashi-sensei; Iruka-sensei," the deep, male voice greeted from behind the mask, his tone crisp and business-like. "Fortunate that I found you both. This will save time. A meeting has been called by our Lord Hokage. You are both required to attend. Please make your way immediately to the tower." Although the words were spoken with a considerable amount of politeness, there was no mistaking that it was an order. Iruka glanced down at the bags in his hands.

"Do we have time to drop this off at home?" he asked, frowning. He had purchased fish and he did not want it to spoil while they attended a meeting.

"No," the ANBU said shortly. "Please make your way to the tower."

Iruka was grateful when Kakashi supplied the perfect solution. "Hold this for a second?" Without waiting for the Black Ops agent to agree, Kakashi shoved his purchases into the unwitting man's arms. The Copy-Nin brought his hands up into a pose that Iruka recognized Naruto using. A second later, an identical Kakashi stood beside him, slouching lazily.

"Ah, the weather's nice today," the clone announced, peering up at the sky with a bored expression.

"Very," Kakashi replied evenly. He snagged the bags from the ANBU's grip and passed them to the clone. Iruka was quickly relieved of his burdens, too. "Take this home if you would, and put them away; then you're dismissed." The clone nodded and, in a swirl of smoke, vanished.

As soon as the clone was gone, the ANBU turned to the two other men. "Shall we?" He reached out a hand toward each. Kakashi offered his wrist but the younger man balked.

"Not teleportation," Iruka said firmly. "I'll walk."

"It is imperative that we hurry," the ANBU replied courteously. "It is no trouble for me to teleport both of you there immediately." Despite his tone, his body language spoke of impatience. The porcelain mask fixed its blank gaze on Iruka and the ANBU snagged the chunin's wrist in a vice-grip. He was obviously not used to being contradicted. A split second before the jutsu triggered, Iruka thought he saw realization dawn on Kakashi's face. The Copy-Nin made a small sound of protest but it was too late and they vanished from the street.

* * *

The moment Iruka slammed his way into the missions room, the occupants fell deathly silent. Eyes turned slowly toward the tanned chunin as he moved across the floor toward the desks. His anger rippled off him in palpable waves, causing many of the present shinobi to shrink back as he passed. Haphazard lines straightened immediately, the mix of jonin and chunin turning into model citizens in the face of the mission room nin's infamous temper. Everyone knew better than to act up when Iruka was obviously that angry or someone would be leaving on a stretcher.

Visibly seething, Iruka slammed himself down into his chair, glared at the room, and barked, "_**Next!" **_Despite his sour mood, half of the room rushed to obey, populating his line as if eager to interact with him. To not follow an order from that particular chunin would bring consequences no one wanted to face.

From his left, Kotetsu openly stared at his friend. The spiky-haired chunin chanced a look at Izumo, who was currently sitting in a frozen state on Iruka's right. The brown-haired nin shrugged, baffled by the horrible mood Iruka was in. Steeling himself, Izumo cleared his throat delicately to get Iruka's attention.

"What?" Iruka asked sharply, stamping a report with more force than necessary. He shoved a new mission at the hapless chunin across the desk before shooting Izumo an impatient look.

"'Ruka," Kotetsu started in a placating tone. He clammed up when Iruka's head whipped around, the brown eyes fixed on the older chunin. Iruka's gaze was nearly black with how angry he was.

"Yes?" Iruka asked bitingly.

"Uhm," Kotetsu replied intelligently.

"Your hair is down," Izumo offered from the other side. "Looks nice?"

"Yes. Very nice with your hair down," Kotetsu continued, grasping at the conversation-rope that Izumo had chucked out there. Nearby, the shinobi in line were nodding vigorously in agreement.

Iruka's hands flew to his head, patting rapidly. "Damn it," he snapped. He'd completely forgotten Kakashi had asked him to leave it down. The thought of that smarmy prick brought an even darker look to the chunin's face. Quickly, he gathered the locks together into their typical high ponytail, securing it in place with a tie from around his wrist. "There. Now if everyone is done gawking, can we get back to business here?"

Eyes were immediately averted, all the other mission desk shinobi snagging their stamps to busily process reports and hand out new scrolls. All, that was, except Kotetsu. The man gaped blatantly at the lead instructor. Iruka could see him clearly through the sonar and felt a prickle of intense annoyance.

"_What?" _Iruka hissed, fixing Kotetsu with a stern glare.

The other chunin lifted a hand and pointed toward Iruka's neck. Iruka frowned and opened his mouth to ask what was wrong when Kotetsu interrupted him. "Dude," he started in a shocked voice. "Where in the world did _that _come from?"

"What?" Iruka's brow furrowed, his expression changing from irritated to confused. "What are you talking about?"

From Kotetsu's other side, Tseno leaned back in his chair to look at what Kotetsu was pointing at. "Wow, that's one impressive hickey," the older nin told him, his tone approving.

Mortification and anger warred across Iruka's face, each vying for dominance as he processed what Tseno just said. He didn't think it was possible to be more upset with Kakashi than he had been three seconds ago but he'd been proven quite wrong. Embarrassment won out and Iruka clapped a hand over the offending mark, face turning a deep shade of red.

"If everyone could please form two lines on that side of the room," Izumo's voice cut through the curiously staring crowd, "These three stations are temporarily closed." With that, the brown-haired man stood, snagging Iruka under the armpits to lift him bodily from the chair. Once Iruka was planted firmly on his own feet, Izumo transferred his grip to Iruka's upper arm and, with Kotetsu hurrying after, Izumo bustled the taller chunin from the room. He didn't stop until they were securely locked in one of the rooms that housed the completed mission files.

The two smaller chunin took a moment to ensure that they were alone in the filing room before turning to Iruka. The younger man slowly took his hand away from his neck and braced himself for the forthcoming interrogation. He slumped resignedly against a filing cabinet, looking anywhere but at his two close friends.

"You need to calm down," Izumo started firmly. "Do you know how this looks for you, storming in like someone just killed your best friend, and with a hickey the size of a shuriken on your neck?"

Iruka paled under his tan briefly. "I didn't realize I had this," he offered weakly, tapping at his neck. He was going to murder Kakashi the next time he saw him.

"What's going on, 'Ruka?" Kotetsu asked next, taking his cues from Izumo. "You haven't been this pissed off in months. Did you guys have a fight?"

Iruka blinked at Kotetsu for a long moment, trying to process what the older man was asking. Yes, he and Kakashi had a fight; a huge fight right in front of the Hokage and all the other instructors. A fight where Iruka was essentially berated by a man that had, moments before that, gently held Iruka's hair back as the younger man vomited his lunch into a potted plant. At the time, Iruka had felt a momentary flash of gratitude for the silver-haired jonin when Kakashi had promptly socked the ANBU in the gut when they'd landed outside the Hokage's office, then rubbed soothing circles on the chunin's back until the vertigo subsided. The Copy-Nin's words of derision during the meeting rattled around in Iruka's head and his eyes narrowed involuntarily at the memory. They'd had a fight alright, and it was far from over. His expression must have confirmed some sort of suspicion because the other two exchanged grim glances.

"If you need to talk about it, we're here for you," Izumo told him carefully. "This isn't like you."

"What isn't like me?" Iruka asked waspishly. "I'm allowed to get angry, aren't I? Stupid, stuck-up, self-centered jonin."

Kotetsu smirked slightly but wiped the expression off his face quickly at the look Izumo shot him. The shorter chunin cleared his throat. "I'm sure it'll all blow over soon. You guys'll be back on the up and up in no time."

Iruka gave Kotetsu a very strange look. There was no 'up and up' to be had; it wasn't like Kakashi and him were dating. Maybe he just meant that they'd mend their currently strained friendship. That made sense but at that moment, Iruka wasn't sure he wanted to be Kakashi's friend. The man had royally ticked him off.

"There's something that doesn't add up here," Izumo interjected. His lips were thin as he stared hard at Iruka's neck. "Never once in the last year did he ever give you one of those." Izumo waved a hand toward Iruka's neck, his eyes narrowing a fraction. "Why were you fighting, Iruka?"

The younger chunin glowered at a stack of scrolls nearby, dismissing the odd comment about the hickey. He was too upset to think too clearly. "He was being a dick," he near-snarled.

"Care to expand on that?" Izumo pressed. "We just want to help."

Iruka sighed deeply, running his hands over his face. "The chunin exams are starting soon; I just came from an instructor's meeting. That bastard had the gall to tell me to butt out when I voiced concerns that the genin weren't ready."

His words were met with momentarily blank stares from his friends. Izumo was the first to recover himself, although he looked decidedly confused. "So… wait. What was Hiro doing at an instructor's meeting? He doesn't have a team."

Iruka stared back. "What? Why would Hiro be there? I'm not talking about Hiro."

A moment of silence descended on the three men as they exchanged baffled expressions. It dawned on Iruka suddenly that he had never told Kotetsu and Izumo about his breakup; he'd been decidedly distracted by his unconventional houseguest. The three had been best friends since their Academy days; they knew everything about each other, shared everything.

"Then who are you talking about?" Kotetsu asked slowly.

"Kakashi."

Izumo and Kotetsu shared a puzzled glance between them before Kotetsu managed an, "Uhm?"

Iruka dug his palms into his eyes for a moment before thumping his head back against the cabinet he leaned on. "Hiro and I broke up. Sorry if I didn't call you earlier but my life has been turned rather upside down lately."

"When did that happen?" Kotetsu exclaimed. "I thought you guys were serious."

Iruka's scowl returned with a vengeance. "We were until he brought home a wife on Wednesday," the younger man spat.

"Shit." Kotetsu reached over and placed a hand on Iruka's shoulder, squeezing it slightly. "I'm sorry, man."

"That hickey is fresh." Izumo crossed his arms. "If you broke up with Hiro four days ago, who gave you that?" The intelligent chunin gave his friend a searching look. A light seemed to click on above the older man's head and his eyes widened slightly. Iruka felt the blood drain from his face as Izumo gaped at the younger nin. "_Kakashi?" _Izumo gasped.

Kotetsu coughed violently, having choked on his spit at the name. He thumped his chest with a fist while Iruka paled even further.

"What? No," the instructor started to object. Izumo sliced his hand through the air, effectively cutting off the protest.

"You're a horrible liar," Izumo told him bluntly. "Seriously? Kakashi?"

"Didn't know he swung that way," Kotetsu rasped, finally gaining control of his voice again. He wheezed slightly, leaning back against a shelf. "You sure don't waste any time, do you?"

Iruka pressed both of his hands against his face. "It's not like that," Iruka mumbled through his fingers, squeezing his eyes shut. "When the fuck did my life get so complicated?" The question was obviously rhetorical and neither of his friends decided to attempt to answer it.

"How is it, then?" Izumo questioned grimly. "He doesn't really seem your type."

"We're not together!" Iruka hissed, dropping his hands. "And right now I'm about to throw him out on his ass for being such an insufferable prick in that meeting."

"Throw him out?" Kotetsu scratched his head. "You're _living _with him? You don't just move fast, you flicker."

Iruka clunked his head back against the cabinet again. He growled out a frustrated noise before plunking down onto the ground. "Sit down," he snapped. "Before anyone makes anymore stupid assumptions, I'll explain the situation." Once his friends had situated themselves on the floor nearby, Iruka launched into an outline of the past few days. He went over the circumstances of his breakup with Hiro and how Kakashi lost his house in the Maki Street fire, having nowhere else to go. He explained that they were trying to be friends but mentioned nothing about Kakashi's back-story – that was certainly none of their business. Iruka also omitted the fact that he'd actually had sex with the Copy-Nin, although he did admit to a bit of heavy petting that led to the hickey. He ended by reiterating Kakashi's behavior in the Hokage's office, his anger starting to show again.

"Sounds like he was just being Kakashi," Izumo said logically once Iruka fell silent. At the raised eyebrow Iruka gave him, the older shinobi clarified. "You've said it before; Kakashi's a lazy, aloof ass. Why expect anything different in public, even if he's sucking your neck in the privacy of your own home? I mean, how many people besides you – and, well, us now – know he's gay?" Izumo scooted over and put his arm around Iruka's shoulders, pulling the taller man into a half-hug. Iruka rested his head on Izumo's shoulder, trying his best to dispel the resentment he still felt toward the Copy-Nin.

"I've got the perfect solution to this," Kotetsu spoke up suddenly, smacking his fist into his open palm. "After desks tonight, we're going out to the Double Shuriken. We're going to get absolutely plastered, you'll puke your intestines up, and in the morning everything will seem so much better by comparison. You'll be back to letting that jerk suck your neck in no time."

Iruka glared at Kotetsu. "I don't _want _him to suck my neck! I want him to fuck off."

Izumo snorted and shook his head. "Drinking is not the answer," he admonished. "And we have gate duty tomorrow. I don't want to be hung over for that."

"Meh, that's not until three in the afternoon. C'mon, guys. When's the last time we went out as bachelors?" His question was met with contemplative silence and the spiky-haired chunin grinned in victory.

"Okay, fine. But just for a bit. We're home by midnight." Izumo stood, pulling Iruka up with him. "What do you say?"

Iruka nodded. "Yeah, I'm game." He wasn't really feeling much like drinking right then, but it was better than having to go back to his house and deal with Kakashi, assuming Kakashi was even there when Iruka got home. With a deep breath, Iruka tugged his hair out of the constrictive ponytail, effectively hiding the hickey from view before following his friends out of the archive and back toward the mission desks.

* * *

As soon as the mission desks closed for the day, Iruka raced home to change. The thunderstorm still growled overhead, although it refused to dump any water on the dry village. When it did finally let go, Iruka felt it was going to be a pretty spectacular storm.

He hesitated outside his door for a minute before unlocking it and heading inside. The place was empty and Iruka wasn't sure if he felt relieved or disappointed. He noted idly that Kakashi's things were still sitting in the far corner so either the man hadn't been home yet, or he didn't think his actions at the meeting were worth moving out over. Not that Kakashi had a say in the matter of getting to stay; it was Iruka's apartment and he could boot the jonin out whenever he felt like it.

It took the instructor only a few minutes to change out of his uniform into casual wear. The trio had a pretty set rule regarding nights out at the bar: no uniforms, hitai-ate only - Kotetsu claimed the girls were a lot more responsive to a ninja than to someone who looked like a civilian, something he proved time and time again when he'd left the bar with at least one, sometimes two, willing companions. He claimed there was no reason to stay in uniform and be uncomfortable, though, so a forehead protector was all that was needed to show their status. Iruka, who found his uniform rather comfortable and had absolutely no interest in taking a girl home, went along with the rules because it was easier than arguing his point.

Clad in a loose, forest-green t-shirt and dark blue jeans, Iruka untangled his hair with swift strokes of his brush. He hesitated, eyeing the tie around his wrist before decided to keep it down over the top of his hitai-ate. He thought he looked oddly younger with only the metal plate visible, his face framed by the long, layered strands of brown. He tugged lightly at a lock; it was about time to cut it back again. He usually liked it just above his shoulders but he'd been too busy to bother trimming it. Now that it swayed just even with his collar bones, he realized it was probably at least three months overdue. Where had the time gone?

A noise in his living room alerted Iruka to Kakashi's return. The chunin took a little longer in the bathroom than was really necessary, going as far as to brush his teeth a second time. He was trying to give Kakashi plenty of time to get his things and get out if that's what the jonin wanted to do. When he didn't hear the front door open again, he felt a little annoyed. He was going to be late meeting Kotetsu and Izumo.

Finally, knowing he couldn't delay any longer, he opened his bathroom door and emerged into the living area. He intended to make a b-line for the front door, escaping before he was waylaid. He didn't make it more than halfway before Kakashi's voice stalled him in place.

"Where are you going?"

Iruka glanced over his shoulder at the jonin. Kakashi stood in the kitchen, his mask down. The stir-fry book was open on the counter top. Iruka's eyes flicked between Kakashi's face and the book, his memory jogged. Before the meeting, they'd agreed on dinner. Something twisted in Iruka's stomach akin to guilt at the accusing look on Kakashi's face as the older man eyed Iruka's outfit.

"Out with my friends," Iruka finally said. The words came out suitably harsh. Iruka was still upset with him and he wasn't going to hide that fact. He didn't elaborate any further on his plans and, before Kakashi had the chance to object, Iruka slipped his sandals on and left the apartment. Try as he might, though, he couldn't block out the crestfallen look he had seen on Kakashi's face as he left. His stomach gave a painful clench but Iruka shoved the feeling aside. He picked up his pace, suddenly feeling a lot more like getting incredibly drunk.

* * *

**AN:** Sorry for the large wall of OC happenings. It's really important to the plot (yes, there's an underlying plot…) that we know what's going on with the Hibei clan. Thanks for reading!


	12. Chapter 12

**AN: **Bonjour.

**Warnings: **Just the usual – language, lime, and, for those truly faint of heart who have somehow missed every chapter leading up to this one, alcohol.

**Notes: **Being that they're shinobi commanded by a Hokage, "Kings" didn't seem a very appropriate name. It is, however, _that _game, with some rules altered to fit the situation better. Although typically played with a single deck, I'm increasing the number of cards because, ya know… ninja.

**Additional**: The "One Second Equates to One Mile" theory behind lightning flashes and thunder replies is actually a myth. It's closer to one mile per five seconds. The more you know…

**Also: **Fun's "We Are Young" comes to mind…

**And Lastly, A Word On Reviews: **So, FF-net had decided to do away with their pop-up review window because… well, I can't really figure out why. Supposedly it has something to do with the fact that some computers thought it was a malicious pop-up, but I'm going to surmise that it was really the fault of the underpants gnomes. _**That **_said, this new method of review has left me with a little bit of a miff: if you're not an FF-net account holder, you can't put a name to your review. You're listed merely as "Guest." There are certain reviewers whom I really enjoy hearing from that aren't FF-net account holders. I don't know if they've reviewed or not because, hey! There's no name on it. So, if it wouldn't be too much trouble, please leave your name at the end of your review so I can say "Oh, so and so is still reading!" Ta!

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: In Which They Play a Game and Kakashi Ends Up Frustrated**

Kakashi stood quietly in the kitchen for a long moment after Iruka fled the building. He stared blankly at the door across the room, doing his best to sort out exactly how he felt about what just happened. Iruka had ditched their dinner to go out with some unspecified friends. Kakashi suspected it was probably other mission desk chunin. That didn't matter though; the only thing that Kakashi really cared about was the fact that Iruka had just walked out on their pre-arranged plans for stir-fry. He felt oddly empty as he slowly closed the book on the counter and moved out of the kitchen. He sat down on the couch, staring off into the distance without really seeing anything.

Iruka had been angry at the meeting. Kakashi would have been a fool to not see that. He knew he could have handled the confrontation that afternoon more gently than he did, but he'd had a reputation to uphold and he didn't really think through the ramifications of telling Iruka to shut it in front of everyone. Apparently the consequence of being his usual self was that Iruka was _still _angry five hours later. Kakashi had honestly hoped the chunin would have gotten over it by the time dinner was done but that was obviously not the case; Iruka wasn't going to be around for dinner.

Kakashi glanced at the kitchen, wondering if he should make it anyway. He dismissed the idea immediately. He didn't feel like cooking for himself, even if he was going to make enough that Iruka would be able to enjoy it later. It never re-heated quite the same and Kakashi had wanted to share that particular recipe with the chunin, perhaps even encourage him to help make it. Plus, he really had lost his appetite the moment Iruka had stormed from the apartment. With cooking out of the picture, Kakashi had to wonder what he was going to do with the rest of his now-free evening.

It was far too early to go to bed so Kakashi scratched that idea. He tried reading but Icha Icha just didn't hold his attention well enough. Curiosity brought him to pick up Iruka's murder mystery. He spent about half an hour reading through the first few chapters before he surmised the who, why, where, and how behind the crime. Kakashi flipped to the back and scanned the last chapter for confirmation. He wondered why Iruka bothered reading those books if they were that predictable. The jonin made a note to ask the younger man about it, if Iruka ever spoke to him again. It was a sobering thought and Kakashi set the book down glumly on the coffee table.

A hollow feeling hovered over him like the storm clouds that hung above the village. He didn't like it but he wasn't sure what to do about it. A small voice in his head told him he should go after Iruka, just as Iruka had followed him to the memorial after Yasu's letter. It wouldn't be too difficult to track him down, especially if he called Pakkun to help.

Standing, the Copy-Nin made his way over to the window situated near the door. He lifted one of the blind slats and peered through at the darkness outside. The cloud cover was so thick and gray that the sun was effectively blotted out. It was only seven in the evening but it looked far closer to nine. In the faint glow of Iruka's porch light, Kakashi could see that the rain had started, too, adding to the overall lack of visibility. There was a flash in the distance - sheet lightning, he noted absently - and Kakashi counted slowly under his breath. The answering rumble sounded just over ten seconds later. Maybe going outside wasn't such a good idea after all.

Kakashi moved back into the main area of the living room, standing right behind the couch. He placed his hands along the back of the furniture, leaning forward on it as he thought. He wondered how long Iruka would be gone; maybe they were just going out for dinner and he'd be back soon. Then they could sort out their little disagreement and Iruka would stop being mad at him. Kakashi could make something creative for dessert and they could spend the rest of the evening doing… whatever it was that friends did in the evening on a rainy day. Kakashi hadn't figured out exactly what that was yet but with Iruka present, it would be easy to pick an activity they both could agree on. For lack of anything better to do, Kakashi rolled himself over the back of the couch and onto the cushions, fully intending to stare up at the ceiling impatiently until the chunin came back. That plan didn't last long.

There was a sharp, insistent knocking on the front door and Kakashi was on his feet in seconds. He stared at the door, brows furrowed as the rapping continued in a rather annoying rhythm. Who in the world had such an irritating knock? Cautiously, Kakashi crept to the door and sent out a tendril of chakra. He yanked it back almost immediately and rolled his eyes at the signature on the other end of the entry. With an exasperated sigh, Kakashi snapped his mask into place, pulled the door open, and did his best not to glare at Konoha's Most Fabulous Green Beast.

"I'm not running laps around Konoha in this storm," Kakashi barked before Guy had a chance to give him a greeting that was sure to be full of words such as "youthful exuberance" and "utterly hip." The Copy-Nin opened his mouth to speak further when movement from beside the spandex'ed warrior caught his attention. Kakashi raised his eyebrow as Asuma and Kurenai huddled under a shared umbrella nearby.

"That would be a most excellent idea, my marvelous Eternal Rival, if that were the case behind my honorable presence." Guy flashed Kakashi a smile that somehow managed to light up the entire porch. "We have come with a much more hip request: A Dynamic Invitation!" Guy spun around, back pedaling to nearly the railing until he had plenty of room to pose comfortably, one arm upraised, the other held out to Kakashi as if the green-clad jonin expected the Copy-Nin to take the proffered hand. "Tonight we shall cajole our inner youthful souls with the plentiful application of well-aged spirits!"

"I see." Kakashi blinked at the outgoing jonin as Guy stood in the rain, oblivious to the wetness as he switched his poses a few times. The Copy-Nin looked over at the other two jonin in question.

Kurenai cleared her throat lightly, doing her best to ignore the strangeness that was Guy. "We wanted to invite you out to celebrate. All of our teams will be entered into the chunin exams, after all."

_Out?_ Kakashi sucked on his teeth briefly as he debated that. He had never really found much appeal in going out with friends before considering Guy was pretty much his only friend and there was only so much Guy anyone could take in one dose. Kakashi glanced back into the empty apartment as he decided. Why not? What else did he have going on right then?

"Okay. Just let me leave a note." Kakashi moved back into the kitchen and tore a sheet of paper off the grocery list pad next to the 'fridge. He scrawled a brief "Out with my friends" on it before leaving it on the dining table, unconsciously copying Iruka's exact words from earlier. He donned his sandals and made sure to lock the door securely before slumping off after the other three.

Something occurred to Kakashi when they reached the street below and he fixed Guy with a piercing look. His voice was lazy, though, as he asked, "So, how did you know where to find me?" Kakashi had not exactly told the other jonin that he was staying with Iruka.

"Ah, a ninja as excellent as myself would be remiss to reveal my methods." Guy waggled a finger at the Copy-Nin, winking.

"He asked the post office where you were forwarding your mail," Asuma offered from Kakashi's other side, the cigarette on his lips bobbing with each word.

Kurenai hid a smile with her hand as the vein in Guy's temple throbbed. "I wasn't aware you and Iruka-sensei were such good friends," the kunoichi commented, drawing the conversation to a different topic. "You seemed to be at each others' throats this afternoon."

Kakashi shrugged, feigning indifference. He didn't feel like elaborating on his peculiar connections to the Academy sensei, especially not to two jonin he wasn't very familiar with. If it had just been him and Guy, he would probably tell the unitard-garbed nin a little more detail. He knew Asuma and Kurenai on a friendly, comrade-type basis but he'd never been out with them before. He wasn't comfortable talking so openly around near-strangers.

They walked through the streets for a few minutes, Kakashi listening to the low murmur of the other three's conversation. He didn't offer much in the way of input and wasn't really paying attention to their words; it was mostly about training styles. What he did focus on was the fact that his feet were incredibly wet and his hair was starting to plaster to the top of his head. The rain was starting to come down a little harder and he envied Asuma's forethought to bring an umbrella. Another clash of lightning lit up the sky behind them and Kakashi counted silently once more. Six seconds elapsed between the light and the boom; the storm was only about a mile and a half away. A few quick calculations in his mind brought Kakashi to the conclusion that they should probably get indoors soon if the storm was moving that quickly.

He cleared his throat, bringing their curious glances his direction. "So, where are we going, exactly?"

"There's this place just a little further down the street," Asuma supplied. "Half-priced drinks for shinobi. We go there all the time after missions to unwind."

"We're going to a bar?" Kakashi brushed back his hair a little as it threatened to flop over the front of his hitai-ate.

"It's more like a club, but yes," Kurenai replied. "They have really good food, for bar fare."

"Club?" Kakashi frowned inwardly. He wasn't really into that sort of scene and started to rethink his agreement to leave the apartment.

"It's not really a club," Kurenai amended. "It has a bar but it also has a dance floor. And Karaoke on Thursdays."

Kakashi mentally thanked whatever gods were listening that it wasn't Thursday. He could just imagine Guy issuing an official Eternal Rival Karaoke Match. His hesitancy must have shown more clearly than he'd imagined because Asuma clapped him on the shoulder with the hand that wasn't clutching the umbrella.

"Lighten up; this'll be fun," the chain smoker told him.

Kakashi wasn't so sure about that but lifted his shoulders in a lazy gesture. If it turned out to be a bust, he would just leave.

"We have arrived!" Guy announced suddenly, pointing through the rain at a brightly lit sign attached to a rather normal-looking building.

"The Double Shuriken?" Kakashi read aloud, raising an eyebrow. He'd actually heard of it before and, if his memory served him correctly, they had a micro brewery in the back that produced some fairly excellent beer. Maybe the evening wouldn't be so bad after all.

As they made their way into the pub the lightning flashed, followed quickly by the thunder. The storm was overhead.

* * *

Iruka sat on the far end of the bar, his back leaning on the wall. His right hand was curled around a beer that rested on a paper coaster shaped like a shuriken. He watched, amused, as Kotetsu and Izumo attempted to chat up a group of civilian girls at a table near the dance floor. It had only taken his friends about five minutes to zero in on the most promising ladies. Iruka wished them the best of luck but declined the invitation to join them. The table was crowded enough between the gaggle of girls and the two charismatic chunin without Iruka squeezing in there. He was much more in the mood to brood in his corner with his beer than pretend to flirt with women.

Despite the deep thump of the music, Iruka could hear the storm rumbling overhead as it passed by. He wondered if it had started raining yet; he really wasn't dressed to walk home in that kind of weather. With a glance at the two already-empty bottles sitting next to him and the half-filled third in his hand, Iruka figured he'd probably be too drunk to care by the time he left. He was already feeling the slight swirl of light-headedness that indicated he was, at the very least, nicely buzzed. Turning back to the bar, Iruka took a long swig from the brown bottle, trying to do his best to forget about that afternoon. It was turning into a difficult thing to do, as it turned out, since his two most promising distractions had abandoned him for boobs shortly after they'd arrived. Iruka didn't really blame them, although he did feel a little bit put off considering the whole idea of going out was to cheer him up.

With a heavy sigh, Iruka finished his beer in one long draught and slid it over the countertop to sit with the other empty ones. He seriously considered going home but he was not in the mood to deal with Kakashi still being there. Despite their argument, Iruka was pretty sure the jonin had no intention of moving out considering he had very few options of where else to go. Iruka's best bet of avoiding his house-guest was to linger at the bar a little while longer then sneak back into his bedroom through the window.

The chunin groaned, rubbing his forehead right below his hitai-ate; he felt like a coward for thinking like that. He knew the logical thing - the _right_ thing - to do would be to sit back down with the Copy-Nin and talk about what had happened in the Hokage's office. They needed to re-clear the grounds and get back on the same page with their friendship. Iruka let his head thud onto the bar top as he belatedly realized that was probably what Kakashi had been trying to do when Iruka had stormed out earlier. The older man was preparing to make them dinner. It would have been the most opportune time to clear the air, say what needed to be said, and try to move along as per usual. Iruka, however, had thrown a tantrum and left to play with his friends, who had effectively left him to play with more attractive prospects.

He was about to signal for the barkeep to bring him another beer when a movement from the far end of the room caught his attention. A group of four was entering through the doorway and, with them, the incredibly familiar chakra signature of the man Iruka had just been thinking about. The chunin froze as he watched Kakashi slouch behind the other jonin to a large, circular table on the opposite side of the room. Kurenai vanished down the hallway leading toward the bathrooms while the men picked their seats. Asuma set a damp umbrella against the wall as the Eternal Rivals dropped into chairs, their hair dripping. Apparently it _had _started raining.

Fixing his gaze on the colorful bottles set on the shelves behind the bar, Iruka did his best to shrink into the wall next to him. It was obvious that Kakashi had decided to go out with his own friends since Iruka had stood up their dinner plans, but of all the places for the troop of jonin to go, it had to be the Double Shuriken. Iruka didn't believe in fate under normal circumstances but he was ready to curse the phenomenon anyway for the coincidence of being stuck in the same building as the man he'd tried to leave behind less than an hour ago. The instructor clamped down on his own chakra signature in hopes that Kakashi wouldn't notice him and decide to make some sort of contact. Best case scenario, even if the Copy-Nin happened to look that direction, the older shinobi would ignore Iruka's presence.

A movement from the direction of the table sent tiny signals to Iruka's brain, outlining the actions of the ninja sitting there. Kurenai had returned and, from the way everyone's hands were gesturing, they were in discussion. Iruka sometimes wished his peculiar kekkei genkai would allow him to actually eavesdrop across distances; whatever was transpiring between the Mighty Green Beast and the Copy-Nin looked fairly heated. Finally, the two men stood, stuck their fists out and, to Iruka's great amusement, Ro-Sham-Bo'd their way to a decision. Iruka bit back a chuckle as Kakashi sulkily shoved his hands into his pockets, having obviously lost the rock-paper-scissors match. It became apparent that the cause of the argument had been who was in charge of ordering for the group because Kakashi then made his way across the dance floor, effortlessly dodging groups of gyrating patrons, to the opposite side of the bar from where Iruka sat.

Iruka's previous hopes that Kakashi would chose to ignore him were squashed as, after speaking with the bartender, the uncovered right eye of the Copy-Nin flicked in the chunin's direction. Before Iruka had the opportunity to formulate a daring escape plan – his brain kept interrupting to call him a coward, despite all the ways Iruka threatened to punish that little, niggling voice – Kakashi had closed the distance from one end of the counter to the other and slipped onto the barstool next to him. Iruka didn't look in his direction, choosing instead to toy with his now-empty paper coaster. They sat there in silence for what felt like an eternity before Iruka finally broke down and, turning to glare at the bored-looking jonin, snapped, "What?"

Kakashi's eye slid to the side to regard the instructor without turning his head. "When you said you would be out with friends, I assumed there would have been some friends involved."

Iruka's face heated slightly at that and his fingers twitched on the coaster. For a split second, he lamented the fact that, although the slip of cardboard looked like a projectile, it would have been useless to chuck it at Kakashi. The most he would have managed to do was give the pale jonin a paper cut, not exactly the most effective method of expressing his displeasure at Kakashi's words. Of course, Iruka reflected as he eyed a bowl of lemon slices on the other side of the bar, he could always squeeze a little juice into the cut to make it at least sting in a moderately irritating way. The mental image that flashed into Iruka's mind of him trying to dribble lemon juice all over a dodging Copy-Nin brought a snicker to the younger man's lips before he had the chance to clamp it down.

The giggling caused Kakashi to turn slightly to face Iruka. The older man propped his chin in his hand, his elbow on the bar. "Something funny?" he asked lazily.

"Yes," Iruka replied bluntly but he did not elaborate. He ran his fingers through his loose hair, brushing the strands behind his ears before imitating Kakashi's posture, his back against the wall again. "What are you doing here, Kakashi?"

The silver-haired shinobi sent a pointed look over his shoulder at the table his companions were sitting at. A busty waitress had arrived there with a tray laden with the drinks Kakashi had ordered moments before. He returned his dark gaze to the chunin and sighed. "I was invited to…" he paused and glanced up at the ceiling as if trying to remember how it was put, "…'cajole my youthful inner soul,'" he finished, adding quote-marks in the air with his fingers for emphasis.

Iruka couldn't help himself and had to smother another laugh with his hand at the phrasing. "Guy's words?" he asked, amused. He had to remind himself firmly that he was supposed to be angry with Kakashi for earlier but it was difficult to remember exactly why with the older man sitting only half a foot away.

"There were a few others I can't really recall right now," Kakashi murmured in an off-hand tone. "And at least four different poses that I'm not going to even attempt to repeat."

"Pity. It loses some of its effect without the proper posturing." As if making a point, Iruka flashed Kakashi a cheesy grin and a thumbs up, one hand moving to plant on his hip. The chunin knew it must have looked a bit awkward considering he was sitting while doing so, but he was pleased to see Kakashi's eye arch up into a smile.

"Well, I'll just have him repeat it for you, then, so you can get the complete picture." There was the hint of laughter in Kakashi's voice and Iruka found himself relaxing a little, his annoyance at the Copy-Nin rapidly dissipating as their banter remained light and friendly.

Doing his best to not laugh, Iruka snagged the shruiken-shaped coaster and pressed it into Kakashi's hands. "Please don't! Just kill me now and save me the agony of having to endure one of his signature speeches. I get them enough at the mission desk!" He offered up his wrists and adopted a forlorn look that was more dramatic than necessary.

"This is cardboard," Kakashi objected, tossing the coaster at Iruka's head. It tangled in a few strands of Iruka's hair, pulling the locks from behind his ear. The fake shuriken dangled in front of his face, bumping into the tip of his nose. The chunin crossed his eyes in order to see the coaster more clearly. For a moment, both men sat silently. Then, Kakashi started to chuckle. The sound was contagious and Iruka joined him, plucking the offending object from his hair and tossing it back onto the countertop beside them.

"Besides," Kakashi continued once they had quelled their chortles. He leaned forward slightly, dropping his voice conspiratorially so that only the two of them would be able to hear what he was going to say. "If I kill you now, who am I going to have make-up sex with later tonight?"

Iruka's face flushed briefly before his eyes narrowed at the jonin. Quickly, he reached out and snagged Kakashi's wrist. There was a flicker of confusion on the older man's face before Iruka lifted the limb up. "Kakashi, I'd like you to meet your right hand. You guys are going to get very well acquainted this evening, I would suspect." The mischievous glint in the chunin's eyes brought another bubble of laughter out of Kakashi's mouth.

"We've met," Kakashi managed to say between chuckles. "But it's no substitute for the real thing."

"That's just too bad, isn't it?" Iruka let go of the other man's wrist and toyed again with the previously discarded coaster, his voice losing the humor it had held moments ago. He was starting to feel the anger return. After the cold, distanced front Kakashi had put up in the Hokage's office, the Copy-Nin thought it was perfectly fine to come up and essentially proposition him? "You should get back to your friends. They didn't invite you out for you to ditch them." He tried to make the dismissal apparent in his voice but either Kakashi didn't hear it, or he didn't care to listen. Iruka was surprised to feel a touch on his leg and glanced over at the jonin.

"Iruka," the other man murmured, his voice incredibly sincere given the earlier course of their conversation, "I'm sorry."

"For what?" the chunin questioned. He let a little of his bitterness creep into his words. He shifted uncomfortably at the feeling of Kakashi's hand still on his thigh. A surreptitious look around, though, showed that no one was near enough to see it.

"I wasn't trying to call you out earlier," Kakashi told him, squeezing Iruka's leg slightly.

"Just shows how good you are if you succeed without trying," Iruka snipped. He didn't dislodge the hand, though, and felt the increased pressure again. He lowered his voice further to barely more than a whisper. "You could have been a little nicer about it."

The older man's face – what Iruka could see of it anyway – turned guilty. "I know. It's just…" Kakashi shook his head. "This really isn't the best place to be discussing this. Just know that I _am _sorry about what happened earlier. If you really want to talk about it, we can do so tonight before bed if you'd like. For now, though, will you be satisfied with that?"

Iruka mulled it over for a minute, chewing on his bottom lip. The hand on his thigh was moving slightly, drawing tiny, circular patterns with light fingertips. It was distracting and Iruka had a difficult time concentrating beyond the soothing feeling. Moments ago, he'd been prepared to throw all his anger from earlier away, going as far as to settle into playful teasing with the pale man beside him. Careful to make sure the motion wasn't seen by any prying eyes, Iruka let his hand drop onto the back of Kakashi's. He entwined his fingers with the Copy-Nin's, pressing Kakashi's palm against the hard muscles of his leg, pinning the hand in place.

"For now," Iruka said quietly. "But this conversation isn't over. I fully intend to continue this later."

With a quick movement too fast for Iruka to fully follow, Kakashi managed to twist his hand around so it rested more comfortably palm-to-palm with Iruka's. He squeezed it once before slipping his fingers out from Iruka's grasp and standing from his bar stool. "Coming?" he asked as he took a step back.

"What?" Iruka found himself standing even though he wasn't sure he grasped what Kakashi was getting at. Were they leaving right then? That would look a little suspicious if they walked out of there together, wouldn't it? Frowning at the older man, Iruka was about to voice further questions when Kakashi pointed toward the table the other jonin were sitting at. Iruka glanced over the older shinobi's shoulder at the gathering and raised his brows.

"But," he started to protest. Kakashi reached out and slung an arm around Iruka's shoulders, steering him away from the bar. "But they're all-"

"Nonsense," Kakashi interrupted, expertly avoiding running into people as he cut across the dance floor once more. "You know everyone from the mission desks. Look, even Genma's shown up. You work with him all the time, right? It'll be more fun to drink with them than to drink by yourself."

Iruka grit his teeth as he was effectively corralled over to the jonin's table. His appearance was met with curious gazes and, self-consciously, he waved a hand at the others in greeting. He received a surprisingly warm welcome as he felt himself propelled into a chair next to Guy. Kakashi took up residence on Iruka's other side next to Genma. The senbon-tokubetsu slid the younger nin one of the bottles of beer that had been delivered to the table. Feeling entirely out of place, Iruka popped the cap off the bottle and took an impressively long swig in an attempt to prepare himself for what was bound to be an uncomfortable evening.

* * *

"What's this?" Kakashi looked at the tiny cup that Iruka had plunked down in front of him upon the smaller nin's return from the bar. The colorful contents jiggled slightly as Kakashi curiously poked the cup with the tip of his finger.

"That," Iruka announced, holding up a finger for emphasis, "is a Jell-O Shot."

The silver-haired shinobi eyed the wiggling contents of the little plastic up with a raised brow. Was this supposed to be a drink? A snack? He honestly wasn't certain what category alcoholic gelatin should be filed under. Finally, he pushed it back toward Iruka distrustfully. "Ah, no thanks."

The chunin frowned deeply at the older man, the expression crinkling the scar across the bridge of his nose in an utterly adorable way. A dark flush had set up permanent residence on the younger man's cheeks after he'd finished that fourth beer and, coupled with the scrunched expression the tanned shinobi was wearing, Kakashi had to keep his hands firmly on top of the table to prevent him from doing something stupid, like feeling Iruka up in a public place. He looked absolutely delicious to the Copy-Nin.

"No, you have to try it," Iruka insisted, pushing the shot back toward the older man. "It's like drinking… drinking…" Iruka's bottom lip disappeared briefly as the chunin sucked it into his mouth in thought. Kakashi forced himself to stare at the Jell-O cup. "It's like drinking fruit."

"Wouldn't that make it juice?" the corners of Kakashi's lips twitched up under his mask as Iruka's fist thudded into his shoulder.

"Just try it." Iruka picked up the shot with a couple fingers and held it out invitingly, jiggling the contents a little as if that would make it look more appetizing.

"I can't take shots with my mask on," Kakashi deadpanned. He'd been drinking his beer through his mask and, although it did give the liquid a slightly cloth-y flavor, it did the job well enough.

"Fft." Iruka rolled his eyes at the older man before tipping the shot down his own throat. Kakashi watched almost transfixed as the younger nin used his tongue to lick out the moisture from the bottom of the cup. He had to mentally shake himself and force his eyes back to the brown bottle next to his hand. He wondered briefly if Iruka was being so damn tempting on purpose, a punishment for their earlier argument, but he dismissed that idea quickly. The smaller man had already consumed four beers and a handful of shots. He was probably completely unaware of how suggestive his actions were. Probably.

Around the table, the other jonin were holding multiple conversations simultaneously, talking over and around one another instead of moving seats to speak with the person they were addressing. Empty beer bottles, sake bottles, and shot glasses littered the table. They'd only been sitting there for half an hour and, to Kakashi at least, it looked like they'd had more than their fair share of alcohol. He wasn't a big drinker and was still nursing his first bottle but he noted that Genma had just cracked open a third one while Guy was just finishing a second. Asuma had ordered enough tequila shots that the waitress had just brought him the bottle, while Kurenai was well into her second tiki-umbrella bedecked fruity something-or-other. Iruka was, by far, the most hammered among them, though, having started drinking nearly forty-five minutes before they'd arrived.

"You know what we should do?" Genma asked suddenly, raising his voice over the other conversations, effectively cutting everyone else off mid-sentence. He grinned, the expression holding a glint of mischief as he reached into one of the scroll pouches on his flak jacket. He pulled out a thin scroll and spread it out on the table in front of him, much to the bemusement of the other shinobi. There was a poof of smoke as he activated the seals, releasing the contents: two decks of playing cards. "We're playin' Hokage!" Picking up one of the stacks, Genma started to shuffle the cards together with nimble fingers.

"Hokage?" Kakashi asked, frowning. He hadn't heard of this game before. About to ask exactly what exactly it was, Kurenai spoke up sounding incredibly put-off.

"Oh no. I'm not going to be the only woman involved in this. Pick something else, Genma." She took a long draw from the curly party straw stuck into her bright pink drink.

The senbon in the older shinobi's mouth dipped slightly as Genma's lips turned down. "But we're drinking," he mumbled, waving a hand at the empty bottles scattered across the table. "Can't go out drinking with this many people without playing Hokage. It would be sacrilege."

"I'll play only if we assign everyone a specific card so I'm not the only one drinking on fours." The dark-haired kunoichi sat back in her chair, her mouth twisted into a frown.

"Fours?" Kakashi asked quietly, glancing between Kurenai and Genma, hoping someone would explain the game before he was expected to participate.

"Fours for whores," Iruka's voice clarified. A tan hand reached toward the rapidly shrinking pile of full beers, pulling another one toward himself. Kakashi stared at the darker man, debating taking the drink away from the already inebriated chunin. Calling Kurenai a 'whore' wasn't like the younger man and Kakashi feared Iruka was turning into a mean drunk.

"I'm sorry, what?" Kakashi's eyes flicked back to the shuffling tokubetsu, who was attempting to convince Kurenai that it wasn't necessary to divide the cards between everyone because there were just as many sixes in the decks as fours.

"You've never played this before?" Iruka's eyebrows were raised quizzically as he leaned in slightly toward Kakashi. The silver-haired shinobi shook his head.

"I don't usually go out to drink," Kakashi explained in an undertone, blocking out the argument that had erupted on the other side of the table. "What is this game?"

"It's a drinking game." Iruka wiggled his beer bottle for emphasis. "Each card has a rule assigned to it that you have to follow. Last one to play a card and either fail to complete the instructions or knocks the cards off the cup, has to drink all of it."

"Drink all of what?" Kakashi eyed the gathering of drinks on the table, some of which were half-empty and still in the hands of their owners. The older man did not like the idea of having to finish _everyone's _drinks for them.

Iruka rolled his eyes. "All of the Hokage's Cup," he clarified. Kakashi got the impression Iruka thought he was being daft; the jonin chalked it up to Iruka being drunk. The instructor sat up suddenly, slamming his beer down onto the tabletop loud enough to cut off the dispute between Genma and Kurenai. "Be right back!" he announced, grinning. Before Kakashi had the chance to ask him what he was doing, Iruka had stood from his chair and vanished across the dance floor.

The gathered jonin watched him walk off with various degrees of curiosity. Iruka hadn't been moving toward the bathrooms. It became clear where he had gone, however, when he returned with a confused Kotetsu in tow. Behind the spiky-haired chunin trailed Izumo and the four civilian ladies they'd been attempting to seduce for the better part of the last hour. Iruka smirked at Kurenai and waved toward the giggling civilian women with a hand. "How's that for more fours?"

It took only a matter of moments for introductions to be made, more chairs to be pulled over, and a waitress flagged down with orders for an insane number of drinks. Kakashi was curious when the requests included the largest glass of something called a Dead Bastard. He looked over at Iruka, hoping to finally get a little more explanation of what they were about to take part in, but the younger man seemed completely absorbed in something Izumo was telling him. The pale nin shoved down a sudden flare of dislike for the light brunette being able to hold Iruka's attention like that. The feeling was not a welcomed one and Kakashi immediately scolded himself for such a ridiculous reaction. Iruka was allowed other friends besides himself.

Kakashi's eyebrow nearly disappeared under his hitai-ate when a large glass of something orange was placed in the center of their crowded, circular table. The waitress grinned knowingly at them as she passed around a variety of beverages ranging from beer to girly concoctions filled with more fruit than alcohol. "If you need more," she said with a chuckle as she gathered their empty bottles and cups, "just holler." As soon as she was gone, Genma set out an impressive deck of cards, a mix of the two he'd summoned from the scroll.

"Now!" the tokubetsu called, removing the senbon from his mouth. He twirled it around in his fingers for a moment before tapping the top of the large stack. "Who's goin' first?" The civilians giggled – Kakashi found it a bit irritating but no one else seemed to take much notice of the girly behavior – while the shinobi exchanged glances trying to determine who was going to pick up the first card. Kakashi was slightly miffed that no one was bothering to explain the rules; apparently everyone else had played before.

Iruka solved the stalemate that was forming by shooting his hand out and snagging the top card, flipping it over. There was a cacophonous chorus of "Eight!" at the clubbed card that he had revealed. Kakashi waited curiously to find out what was supposed to happen. To his surprise, Iruka turned and slapped him on the shoulder with an enthusiastic, "You!"

"Uhm?" the older shinobi quirked his brow.

"Eights for Mates," Kotetsu announced from Kakashi's left, grinning.

"Mates?" Kakashi was starting to feel very agitated that he wasn't in the know about what was going on. He didn't really want to admit that he didn't know what they were doing but it was obvious from his bewildered expression that he had absolutely no clue.

"Every time I have to drink, _you _also have to drink." Iruka regarded the eight in his hand for a second before setting it carefully on the edge of the Dead Bastard's rim, balancing it there precariously.

"And vice versa for the rest of the game," Genma added, giving Kakashi an odd look. "You've not played this before, have you?"

Kakashi's lips thinned but he didn't let the expression into his eye. He carefully schooled his face into the picture of lazy indifference he usually had. "I'm not a big drinker," he said as if that explained his lack of familiarity with the card game. The predatory look that passed between Genma and Asuma was not comforting but Kakashi refused to rise to their shared conspiracy.

"It's your turn now," Kurenai told him with a friendly smile, motioning toward the deck. "Just flip a card and we'll tell you what it means."

"Then you must place it ever so carefully on the Hokage's Cup without touching the alcohol inside or knocking any cards off," Izumo said helpfully from Iruka's side. "Otherwise the game is over and you have to drink that." He pointed at the Dead Bastard. Kakashi didn't think it looked too terribly threatening – it was probably some sort of fruity mixed cocktail – but the name was a little disconcerting.

Guy's fist suddenly thumped against the tabletop, causing Iruka's gently placed card to wobble perilously. He half stood and pointed a finger at the silver-haired shinobi. "Before you begin!" the green-clad jonin exclaimed, "I would like to make an official challenge out of this!" He hopped onto his chair and spun on his toes before throwing Kakashi a signature Nice Guy pose. "If either of us are forced to consume that monster, the other shall receive a tally on his side!"

Kakashi blinked slowly at Guy before taking stock of the other people at the table. Apart from himself and Guy, there were two jonin, one tokubetsu, three chunin, and four civilian women. His chances of being the one to knock the cards off were pretty slim. Guy, however, had already caused the only card on the cup to nearly fall from its perch. His odds of at least not being the one to drink the cup looked pretty good.

"Fine," he said finally with a nod of his head. His hand snaked out to grab the top card. "Challenge accepted."

* * *

Iruka had lost count of how many beers he'd drank but he knew it was somewhere along the lines of "more than was intelligent." He carefully popped the cap from another, swallowing heavily as his stomach tried to protest the idea of adding more to the sloshing contents. He couldn't back down from taking a swig, though. If he failed to follow the three of hearts that stared at him, he'd have to drink the Hokage's Cup, and adding a Dead Bastard on top of X-number of beers would not end well for the chunin. Steeling himself, he took a gulp of his beer then, ever so carefully, tried to keep his hand steady enough to place the card onto the growing pile on the Hokage's Cup. He held his breath as the mound shifted slightly with his touch, praying the scattered pile stayed put. To his great relief, nothing dropped from the spread-out stack.

There was a chorus of "huzzahs" from around the table as Iruka sat back in his chair, laughing. He threw his fist into the air then let it drop into his lap, turning his slightly unfocused eyes to Kakashi as the pale shinobi reached forward toward the deck. It was impossible to see his cheeks through his mask but Iruka bet he was about as flushed as everyone else at the table. They'd made it through half of the two-deck stack and, with Kakashi and Iruka being official "Mates" since the very first card, the Copy-Nin was on either his fifth or sixth beer already. Iruka was almost certain that the ridiculously curved eye-smile that had taken permanent residency on Kakashi's face was the result of being completely plastered; the older shinobi had admitted to not being much of a drinker and the chunin bet that meant Kakashi had a surprisingly low tolerance for alcohol.

"Five!" a number of voices hollered the moment Kakashi flipped the card over. The pale shinobi groaned and reached toward a kunai that sat next to the deck. He spun it quickly while everyone leaned forward slightly see who it landed on. Kotetsu whooped when the point faced him.

"Alright, Kakashi!" the dark-haired chunin said with a clap of his hands. "Lessee… For the next full round you gotta…" His eyes shifted around the table as he considered what dare to make the jonin perform. His expression narrowed as an impish grin flittered across his mouth. "You gotta sit on Iruka's lap."

"Hey!" the instructor squeaked, glaring at his friend. He exchanged a look with Kakashi then glanced at the drink in his hand, debating if he could just drink instead. Around the table, the other shinobi were crowing with laughter, being very careful not to bang into the table in their mirth at the idea. Copious amounts of alcohol were probably to blame for the situation seeming a lot more humorous than it was but the inebriated ninja didn't care.

"Oh, come on," Kotetsu encouraged, waving his beer bottle at them. "He's not any bigger'n you. Not like you'll get smooshed."

The logic behind that wasn't helping, even if it was true. Kakashi only outweighed the slightly shorter man by a couple pounds at most. Iruka continued to glare daggers at Kotetsu, though, while Kakashi looked thoughtfully at the Academy teacher. Iruka waited impatiently for Kakashi to decide whether or not to complete the dare or take the drinking punishment; since it was the jonin's card, it was his call.

With a long-suffered growl, Kakashi stood and, taking Iruka by surprise, plopped down sideways on the darker man's legs. Iruka had to put an arm around the jonin's back to steady him as Kakashi nearly fell off backwards. The fractionally taller man _was _drunk after all. Iruka felt the corners of his mouth twitch upwards at that and shifted slightly to get more comfortable.

"Your ass is bony," Iruka complained before he could quell the words. The comment brought another round of laughter to the already overly-amused gathering. Kakashi slung an arm around Iruka's shoulders to steady himself, ignoring everyone in favor of trying to place his five on the Hokage's Cup. The way his mask stretched slightly, Iruka could tell the other man had his tongue stuck out in concentration. With a happy sigh from the Copy-Nin, the card remained perched precariously with the other jumble of cards on the cup's rim. Eyes turned to Kotetsu as the spiky-haired man snagged the next card from the desk.

"Jack! I'm invoking the rule In My Pants… in my pants!" Kotetsu leaned forward over the table to slide his card between a couple of the more secure looking cards.

"You _would_ make that rule… in my pants," Genma mock-snarled. Snickers flittered around the table. Iruka clamped his mouth shut, determined not to have to add that stupid phrase to the end of each of his sentences by simply not talking. Apparently the girl next to Kotetsu had the same idea because she made quite the show of pressing her lips into a line before grabbing the next card.

"A joker in my pants!" one of the other civilians squealed for her friend.

"As the Supreme Game Master," Genma announced from his seat, spreading his arms wide, "In My Pants is suspended until after Never Have I Ever… otherwise, no one is going to win-"

"-In your pants," Kurenai interjected from his side before dissolving into bubbly giggles, her comment earning her an appreciative round of laughter from the others.

Kakashi shifted on Iruka's lap, bringing the younger man's attention to him. The jonin looked a little perplexed. "What's Never Have I Ever?" he asked in an undertone, leaning in closely to the younger man. Despite the number of cards they'd gone through, this was their first joker. The chunin did his best not to fixate on the close proximity of Kakashi's cloth-covered face to his own. The alcohol was seriously clouding his ability to focus on anything else but the lean frame shifting on his lap. If Kakashi kept squirming like that, Iruka would have to deal with another problem that was threatening to arise.

He shoved thoughts of his rebelling nether regions aside and took a deep breath. Iruka put his beer down carefully on the tabletop and held up three fingers on his left hand, his right still clasped firmly around the jonin's waist. He told himself it was to keep him from falling off. From their position, the only ones who would have been able to even see the near-intimate gesture was Izumo and Kotetsu; Iruka wasn't concerned about what they thought, though, since they already knew that the tall jonin was responsible for the hickey on the chunin's neck.

"We all take turns sayin' something we've never done. If you've done it, then you drop a finger. Last one with fingers up wins. If you run out of fingers, you gotta drink." Iruka absently rubbed his hand along Kakashi's hip while he made his explanation, his body completely ignoring his mind's orders to knock it off and keep things platonically friendly. The Copy-Nin nodded and carefully selected three fingers to use, wriggling around on Iruka's lap a little more. That earned his hip a pinch and the jonin sent Iruka one of his cheeky eye-smiles. Apparently, despite the alcohol, Kakashi was well aware of the effect his wiggling was having on the man under him.

The round started as soon as everyone held up their fingers in ready. Most of the proclamations were fairly basic. Iruka ended up putting down a finger fairly early when Genma proudly publicized that he had never accidentally stabbed himself with a senbon. Iruka was not exactly proficient in that particular weapon and had, on many occasions, impaled his own hand when trying to learn to fling the damn things.

Asuma added a rather dirty "I've never worn a dress" to the mix, eliminating all four of the civilian women and causing Kurenai to huff impatiently. She shot back that she'd never smoked a cigarette.

Things got interesting by the time the round reached Guy. Kotetsu and Izumo were out, as was Asuma due to the jibe at his chain-smoking. Iruka, Kakashi, Kurenai, and Genma were all left with a single digit raised to Guy's two. The bowl-cut wonder appeared to ponder his confession carefully before adopting a sly smile.

"Never Have I, the Green Hurricane of Konoha, kissed a man."

Iruka froze. He could feel Kakashi stiffen on his lap as well. The chunin's eyes flicked to his finger as it wavered in its upward position. He had to make a rather revealing decision and could feel himself starting to sweat. He could be honest and drop his finger, risking the odd looks he'd certainly get from the other people at the table, or he could blatantly lie about it and risk a drunken Kotetsu calling him on it. Iruka chanced a look at Kakashi and thought he saw the same indecision in the jonin's gaze. They were both saved from making that call, though, as a noise burst from the tokubetsu across the table.

"You sonofabitch!" With an angry growl, Genma snagged his beer and took a long drink. He pointed a finger at Guy, eyes narrowing. "Just 'cause I had to take one for the team that time… you smarmy bastard!" Genma slammed his bottle onto the table and, before anyone had a chance to do more than stare at the senbon-sucking jonin, the man stabbed the acupuncture needle into the wooden surface, stood, and reached across the space to snag the front of Guy's flak jacket.

The group burst into astounded guffaws as the tokubetsu yanked Guy forward into a lip-bruising kiss. Genma shoved the Green Beast back into his seat and, ignoring the cat calls, pointed a finger in the younger ninja's face. "Ha! Can't say that now, can ya!"

Guy sputtered momentarily before surging forward, his fists raised with the obvious intent to smack the smaller jonin into the next week. There was a collective gasp as his arm caught the edge of the card stack. For a breathless moment, the heap wobbled on the edge of cup. Then, with a cascade of flipping blue and white, the cards tumbled off the rim of the Dead Bastard. Guy stared at the center of the table for a long stretch, Genma forgotten as the other players erupted in gleeful yells. Then, the taijutsu specialist laughed himself and shook his head.

"At least this will wash that taste out!" he told them with a signature grin. He brushed the last few cards from the edge of the tall glass and, after a brief salute, tipped it back.

* * *

Iruka leaned heavily on Kakashi as they trudged slowly back toward the apartment. After the eventful game of cards had ended with Guy promptly vomiting the freshly drank Dead Bastard all over the table, the bar tender had kicked out the troop of rowdy shinobi. Iruka had made it about ten feet down the damp street before the world tipped sideways and he was forced to lean against a garbage can. Kakashi, who had consumed far less alcohol in general, was steadier on his feet and had promptly pulled Iruka's arm over his shoulders with one hand, wrapping the other around his waist to keep the chunin upright.

"Just don't throw up on me," Kakashi requested before leading the younger man toward home. They made it about halfway there before Iruka asked to stop for a moment to gather himself. Kakashi moved into a side alley and deposited the tipsy chunin on a stack of wooden crates. While Iruka sat with his head resting on his drawn-up knees, Kakashi leaned back against the wall and tilted his head toward the still-raining sky. The rain was pleasantly cold against his flushed face and, without really thinking about it, he pulled down his mask to let the water wash over his cheeks.

"I'm never going to do that again," Kakashi said thickly, closing his eyes. Iruka mumbled unintelligibly from the crates but it sounded like the younger man was in full agreement. Kakashi was not a fan of the lightheadedness that continually swirled around in his brain; he felt like he'd lost some measure of control over himself and that did not make him happy. He couldn't think straight enough to really process why he'd allowed himself to drink that much to begin with but he thought it might have had something to do with the herd mentality people tended to adopt when in large groups. It certainly didn't help that every time Iruka had to drink during that damned game, so too did Kakashi.

"That feels nice." Iruka's voice floated over to Kakashi and the Copy-Nin cracked his eye open to glance over at the younger man. It was difficult to see him in the darkness of the alleyway but, from what Kakashi could make out, the chunin had lifted his own face to the sky, his lips parted as the rain dripped down onto his face. He had straightened his legs, letting the long limbs dangle over the edge of the crates, just barely too far off the ground for his sandaled feet to touch the cobbles below. The older shinobi watched with a fascinated intensity as the silhouette of his friend stuck a tongue out to catch the drops.

Without really noticing that he was doing it, Kakashi moved a couple steps closer. In the dimness, he could see that Iruka's eyes were closed. The little part of Kakashi's mind that usually told him what was and was not a good idea had apparently taken the evening off as the older man decided on his best course of action. Without any hesitation, he stooped over Iruka and sucked that protruding tongue into his mouth.

The muscle recoiled into the younger man's mouth as Iruka gasped in surprise, his eyes flying open. Kakashi didn't give the other a chance to recover before delving his tongue past the open lips that Iruka had inadvertently presented him with. Slowly, feeling a little dizzy from bending over, Kakashi slid his knees onto the crate on either side of Iruka's hips, straddling the younger man as he sat back on the instructor's thighs. His hands came up to cup the chunin's face, tilting his head slightly to find a better angle against Iruka's lips. When Kakashi finally pulled back for air, Iruka's hands had found purchase on the pale nin's hips, the tips of his fingers digging in hard enough to potentially bruise.

"You taste like beer," Iruka's voice rasped. He pulled Kakashi's hips forward further until their chests were nearly flush. The Copy-Nin quirked his brow at the start of an obvious bulge that rubbed against him with the motion. He shifted experimentally, purposefully sliding against Iruka's groin. The chunin let out an appreciative hiss, his eyes closing as Kakashi repeated the motion.

"Is that so?" the older nin murmured, dipping his head to run his lips lightly across Iruka's facial scar; below him, Iruka's hands roamed further back, grabbing hold of Kakashi's ass. With a growl, the dark-haired nin's fingers kneaded roughly, rolling the older man's hips against him. Kakashi's own thickening erection strained against the tight fabric of his pants as it rubbed against the lower panes of Iruka's stomach, eliciting a groan from his lips that Kakashi did not bother trying to bite back.

"Shuddup and get your mouth back down here," the chunin murmured, his tone leaving no room for argument. A tanned hand moved from its place to tangle in the gravity-defying hair of the other, yanking his mouth back down to meet the already kiss-swollen lips of the academy instructor. Teeth and tongue mixed in a battle for dominance that left Kakashi feeling extremely lightheaded and quite breathless, although that could have been partially due to the alcohol.

Kakashi blamed his own inebriation for the fact that he couldn't recall how or when Iruka had managed to unzip his flak jacket, or untuck his shirt. Somewhere between the heated brush of lips and scrap of teeth, Iruka's hands must have left their positions to do it but Kakashi would be damned if he had realized it before feeling Iruka push him back slightly to run calloused fingers up underneath his shirt. The cloth was effectively pushed up to his armpits and a tiny part of Kakashi's mind wondered if he should take it off. There was enough alcohol in his system for common sense to be nonexistent but all thoughts of the logistics of getting undressed were thrown out the window as a wet heat took a firm hold of a pale pink nipple. A low moan escaped the jonin's lips as Iruka's hand rolled and tugged the other bud firmly in time with the laving tongue.

Teeth bit down hard enough to send a tremor through the older nin's body. Drunken Iruka was _aggressive_, Kakashi realized, as the younger man ran the nails of his other hand down the pale back. The Copy-Nin vaguely realized that he would bear the marks of Iruka's ministrations the next morning but he was beyond caring at that point. His pants were becoming increasingly uncomfortable and his mind had focused on the singular thought of getting laid.

While Iruka was busy attacking his chest, leaving bite marks all over the hard, scarred skin, Kakashi reached down between them to palm the chunin's arousal through his jeans briefly – shuddering in pleasure at Iruka's rumbling moan that vibrated against his pectorals - before attempting to release the snap and zip holding it in. The task proved more difficult than the jonin had anticipated and he cursed under his breath at his surprising lack of hand-eye coordination.

With a frustrated growl, Kakashi leaned back forcefully in order to improve his angle. Looking back, he would swear that time literally froze for a moment as he sat suspended on the very edge of the crates, wobbling precariously on the brink. Then, like an elastic band being released from a stretch, time snapped back into place and he was falling backwards. Sluggish reflexes, dulled from the copious amounts of beer he'd drank, failed to grab onto any sort of purchase and, before he could do more than eep in an extremely emasculating way, Kakashi landed in a puddle on the cobbles with a wet splash.

He sat there blankly as water seeped into his pants, blinking up at the dark outline of Iruka still sitting on the crates. The chunin slipped off the wooden boxes to kneel next to him.

"You okay?" Iruka asked. Although Kakashi couldn't see his face very clearly in the darkness, he could hear the concern in the younger man's voice.

"My underwear is wet," Kakashi replied before he could formulate anything more intelligent than that. They stared at each other in the dimness for a moment before Iruka started to laugh.

"Some-" Iruka managed to force out between giggles, doing his best to stifle his laughter behind a hand, "Some jonin _you _are! Fallin' off a box!"

Kakashi glared at the chunin and smacked a hand at the puddle he sat in, sending a spray of water toward the younger man. It splattered ineffectively against Iruka's already damp t-shirt but Kakashi felt slightly better for it. He was uncomfortably drunk and achingly aroused without having to add exceedingly soggy to the list.

Still laughing, Iruka reached out and took a firm grip on Kakashi's wrists. "C'mon. My bed's a lot dryer than this alley, anyway."

Kakashi's groin twitched eagerly at the suggestive tone in Iruka's voice and he twisted his hands around to grab hold of the chunin's wrists as well. It took them a couple tries but both men managed to gain their footing without too much issue. The brief rest in the alleyway had revived both shinobi enough that they really didn't need to lean against one another to continue on their way. That didn't stop Kakashi from pulling Iruka's arm across his shoulders and looping an arm around the younger nin's waist, though. He wanted to feel the other man's body close to his and that particular position allowed for that without looking too suspicious should anyone wander by. A bystander would just presume that at least one of them was drunk – a rather accurate assumption – and that they were helping each other home.

The second half of their journey was uneventful, if sodden. There was no one out on the streets due to the bad weather, most people had chosen to hole up in their warm, dry homes to avoid the storm.

Going up the stairs that led to the upper level of Iruka's apartment complex proved a little more tricky than walking the flat roads between the bar and home. They'd made it up two flights before both men were on the verge of dissolving into laughter, tripping every third or forth step to slam into one of the bordering walls of the enclosed stairwell. It didn't help that Kakashi was doing his best to grope Iruka every time they stumbled. It wasn't until they paused on the third landing to catch their breath and regain their equilibrium that Kakashi noticed he'd neglected to pull his mask back up before they'd left the alley. Even then it took the surprise glide of Iruka's lips against his own for that realization to dawn on him.

The kiss was brief and surprisingly gentle given how forceful Iruka had been earlier. It took a lot of willpower to lightly push the chunin back a step, breaking the almost innocent caress. Taking a deep, somewhat shaky breath, Kakashi stared into the smoldering eyes of his companion, noting the promise held there. He quickly jerked his chin toward the last set of stairs that separated them from the top floor. They weren't that far away and, as much as Kakashi would have loved to stay on that landing re-exploring Iruka's mouth, it wouldn't do to have a neighbor see them like that. Without a word, they took to the steps, doing their best to hurry up them without tripping over either their own feet or each other.

They made it to the top before Iruka's toe caught the edge of the landing and, with an ungainly wobble, he knocked into Kakashi. There was no wall to brace against and, for the second time that night, the jonin tumbled gracelessly to the ground. That time, though, he took the chunin down with him. They landed on the walkway with a hard thud that was promptly followed by their barely stifled laughter. Kakashi tried to disentangle his limbs from Iruka's but the other man was too uncoordinated to be any sort of help in the process.

Finally, after a couple half-hearted kicks at the younger man in order to get him to move, the jonin managed to pull himself upright. He stooped down and wrapped his arms around Iruka's waist, hoisting the chunin to his feet. Iruka leaned his weight back against Kakashi's chest for a minute while they both regained their composure. With a sigh, Kakashi glanced down the walkway toward Iruka's apartment, hoping they could get there without any more mishaps. They were only a few doors away and Kakashi could easily see the awning that stretched over Iruka's living room window. His brow rose as his eyes settled on something – some_one_ his mind corrected him – that was huddled down on the instructor's doorstep.

"Uhm, Iruka," he started slowly, squinting at the child in front of them.

"Eh?" Iruka had turned his head to nuzzle at Kakashi's jaw but paused at the older man's words.

"There's a boy on your porch," Kakashi replied, frowning.

Iruka turned to look, his own face scrunching up in confusion at the tiny figure sitting there. "Well, don't look at me. _I_ didn't put him there."

The jonin rolled his eyes before releasing Iruka. He walked slowly toward the figure, doing his best to maintain a straight line. Behind him, Iruka was using the wall for guidance. As they ducked under the awning and out of the rain, a few finer details of the child were discernible in the pale light of Iruka's porch lamp. Kakashi felt his heart drop a little at the familiar light-colored hair and rumpled shinobi uniform of the youngest Hibei. What in the world was the boy doing on Iruka's porch in the middle of a rainstorm?

Hekai was apparently dozing because it took Kakashi prodding his crossed legs with a foot to rouse him. Startled, he blinked owlishly up at the two men that stared curiously down at him. Light brown eyes so similar to Yasu's widened momentarily, flicking wildly over the Copy-Nin's bared face, before the young chunin scrambled to his feet. Despite having fallen asleep under the awning, he looked soaking wet and, if his shivers were any indication, rather chilled.

"What are you doing here?" Kakashi questioned without any preamble. He knew his tone was a bit on the harsh side and forced himself not to wince when Iruka's fist collided with his kidney.

"Don't be rude," the teacher snapped before turning his dark eyes to the lad. Iruka smiled reassuringly and a made a motion for Hekai to answer the question.

"I," the boy started nervously, shifting his feet and clutching his arms around his body as if he had just registered the cold. "I was hoping you could tell me where Naruto lived. I mean, if it's okay. I'm sorry I fell asleep here; I thought maybe you'd be back soon."

"A bit late to be visiting," Iruka admonished. He tried to check the watch on his wrist but he swayed slightly as his eyes failed to focus on the crystal face. Kakashi reached out quickly to steady the younger man before he stumbled and felt oddly happy when Iruka decided to lean against him again, moulding his back to the jonin's front like he belonged there.

"Oh, yeah. Well." Hekai looked down at his feet for a moment, then off to the side toward the dark, wet rooftops beyond the railing.

"Why did you want to find Naruto?" Iruka pressed. His tone was gentle and encouraging. Kakashi realized the man was slipping subconsciously into his teacher-mode, speaking to Hekai like one of his students with a tone measured to extract information without making the child feel threatened. The jonin wondered if that was something the instructors were taught before they started or if it just came naturally to Iruka.

"I was kinda hoping to… crash on his floor or something," Hekai mumbled hurriedly. A flush stained his pale cheeks red and he kept his eyes fixed firmly on some point to the slight right of Iruka's face, not wanting to meet the other chunin's eyes for some reason. Kakashi thought he saw embarrassment in the lad's eyes.

"Why?" Kakashi spoke again, although he did his best to keep the tone neutral so Iruka wouldn't try to hit him again. The caramel eyes flicked to Kakashi's face once more and the boy grimaced.

"I don't want to go back to the house tonight," he admitted, his voice barely audible over the pattering of the rain, dropping his gaze to his feet. "Naruto seems like a nice guy so I thought that maybe… and he spent, like, two hours talking about you the other day, Iruka-sensei, so I figured you'd know where he was and-"

"Hekai." Kakashi cut the boy off from his rambling as he reached around Iruka to place a hand on the small shoulder. He suspected that the boy's brother had done something to upset him; Shinji was very talented in that respect, after all. The kid looked on the verge of tears and it was rather unsettling, given how much Hekai resembled the middle brother. The entire Hibei clan looked unnervingly similar, for that matter, but Kakashi shoved the thoughts of the other members of the child's family from his mind, concentrating on the one that happened to be standing right in front of him. "Trust me, you do _not_ want to sleep on Naruto's floor."

Iruka snorted slightly in agreement and pushed away from Kakashi's front. The dark-haired man moved to the front door and did his best to try and insert his key into the lock. He missed at least three times before succeeding. With a satisfied hum, the older chunin pushed the door open and motioned for Hekai to go inside. Tentatively, the boy did as bid, the others following after him.

Kakashi watched as Iruka moved purposefully toward the couch. The instructor started to yank the cushions off without a word. Knowing what Iruka was up to, Kakashi left him to it and disappeared into the bedroom to grab clean sheets and an extra pillow for the kid. When he got back, the couch bed was extended and Iruka was talking to Hekai in low, comforting tones.

"I have some extra pajamas of Naruto's from when he stays over you can wear for the night," the elder chunin murmured. "Why don't you go take a hot shower and get out of those wet clothes, eh?"

"I don't wanna be a bother," Hekai started uncertainly. He shivered again though and Iruka gave him a little push toward the bathroom door. Still looking rather unsure of the situation, Hekai shuffled through the door, closing it after him. The sound of the taps starting met the jonin's ears as he made his way carefully toward the instructor.

"What do you think's going on?" Iruka asked quietly as he started stripping the hide-a-bed of the sheets Kakashi had used previously. He had to pause halfway through and Kakashi put a steadying hand on Iruka's shoulder. The walk may have helped clear their heads of some of the alcohol fuzz, but both shinobi were still feeling the waves of unsteadiness grip them if they moved too quickly.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure it has something to do with Shinji," Kakashi replied as soon as Iruka felt planted enough to wave his hand away. Working together, they managed to dress the bed in its new linens without falling over or tangling themselves in the uncooperative fitted sheet. With that chore done, they headed into the bedroom. Iruka dug around in one of his dresser drawers, pulling out a pair of garishly orange pajama pants and a black t-shirt that were definitely too small for him.

While Iruka left the room to deliver the clothing, Kakashi stripped himself of his wet attire, tossing the clothing unceremoniously into Iruka's laundry hamper. He put on the eye patch he typically wore when home and then debated whether or not he should remain in the nude. Thoughts of that promising look Iruka had given him on the stairwell caused his groin to tighten in anticipation but he threw on a pair of simple, black sweatpants anyway. He was feeling very thirsty, the dehydration of drinking so much starting to take effect.

Back out in the kitchen, Kakashi filled a large glass with water and gulped it down. As an afterthought, he filled it again and poured it into the dry soil surrounding Mr. Ukki's stalk. He filled it one last time and pressed it into Iruka's hands right as Hekai exited the bathroom. The boy looked considerably warmer, the borrowed pajamas at least a size too large on his slight frame. Naruto was small for his age but Hekai was still shorter than the garrulous blonde.

"Did you need anything else?" Iruka asked kindly as Hekai crawled under the blankets. Kakashi reached over and, covering Iruka's hand with his own, lifted the glass toward the teacher's lips. The younger man started as if just then realizing he had water in his hand. He drank it down quickly and passed the glass back to Kakashi.

"No. Thank you very much." The sincerity in Hekai's voice was not lost on either of the older shinobi. "This is really, really nice of you."

"Get some sleep," Kakashi murmured as he set the now-empty glass on the kitchen counter.

"If you need anything, we'll be right in there." Iruka jerked his thumb over his shoulder to indicate his bedroom. Hekai nodded his understanding and snuggled down against the pillow, yanking the blankets up to his chin.

Once in the privacy of the bedroom, Kakashi watched eagerly as Iruka started to shed clothing. The normally tidy teacher left the garments on the floor where they fell, simultaneously moving toward the bed. Noting that Iruka didn't bother putting anything else on once he was in the buff, Kakashi quickly yanked off his own pants before sliding in next to the tanned body. He didn't bother waiting for an invitation before draping himself half on top of the younger man, lips instantly seeking out that delicious mouth. He was utterly surprised when, instead of the full lips and tongue of the chunin, Kakashi's mouth met with the other man's palm.

"What-" he began, frowning. Did he miss something? What happened to the heated look on the stairs?

"Sorry," Iruka murmured, his lips set in a firm line. "Not with a minor in my living room."

The Copy-Nin stared down at the younger ninja, an argument almost escaping him. Iruka's face hardened in determination, cutting off whatever it was that Kakashi was going to try to say. With a sigh, Kakashi dropped his forehead onto Iruka's chest in defeat. After a few breaths, Kakashi flopped back off the chunin, throwing an arm over his eyes as the quick motion had adverse affects on his equilibrium.

"Good night, Kakashi." The bed shifted and there was a click as Iruka turned off the lamp on his nightstand. When the older man lifted his arm to glance over, Iruka had rolled onto his side, his back to the other nin.

"'Night," Kakashi returned, closing his eye with a silent but frustrated huff. 'So much for the make-up sex,' he thought bitterly. 'Cock-blocked by a fucking ten-year-old.'

* * *

**AN: **Whew… sorry that took so long. I wanted to have it done three days ago but that just did not happen. I'm glad I didn't short-cut it to make the deadline, though. I'm pretty happy (not 100% so but maybe more like 92%) with this chapter.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: **'n amd.

**Warnings: **Beware the character exposition! Beware it, I say! … So, basically, I have no warnings for this chapter besides the usual. By now you should be very well familiar with how I write. For those who aren't, perhaps you should read the first twelve chapters before this one? ~.^ I suppose I _should _warn against a little bit of lime flavoring, but that's not really a warning is it? It's more of a heads-up (pun may be intended...)

**Note: **A decent number of reviewers made the comment that they've never heard of the drinking game portrayed in the last chapter. In the USA (which, oddly enough, is where I'm from...) it's called "Kings." It goes by many names, though. CB told me they call it "Circle of Death." There are a hundred different variations of this game and it is widely played in many different countries across the globe. If you're really interested in finding out more about this (it is quite a fun game and will get you totally sloshed) you can find it on wikipedia by searching for Kings Card Game. The "Cards on Cup" variation portrayed in Chapter 12 is not common (I don't think they even mention it on the Wikipedia article) and everyone has their own House Rules that go with each card. The wikipedia article offers quite a few suggestions for variations as well as the common rules so you can essentially build your own set of House Rules. Have fun!

**Fun Fact: **"Hibei" was originally intended to be Hiro's last name and "Itou" was supposed to be the name of Yasu's clan. I switched them at the last minute when I realized that "Hekai Itou" sounded stupid.

**Also: **As Meg aptly put it, I am such a cock-tease. *snerk* Sorry!

**Oh, yeah: **I forgot to mention it last chapter but we're well over 100,000 words! *fist-pump* For those keeping track at home, Gifts is now the equivalent of a 325 page paperback! Yosh!

**One More Thing: **My apologies for the later than expected update. I've been dealing with some really serious personal problems that have been sapping my will to be creative. Don't worry, though. I'm okay and I fully intend to finish this (and potentially write a sequel… . *gasp!*) I'm also sorry that this chapter is shorter than the more recent ones. I'm having difficulty getting through a very important section and I need more time to work on it, so it's getting pushed into the next chapter. Thanks!

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: In Which Genma Tells a Story and Kakashi is Considerate**

The first time Kakashi woke up, it was still dark outside. He felt almost overly warm, uncomfortably thirsty, and, oddly enough, really heavy. His still-fuzzy brain took a few drawn-out moments to place why that was before the weight shifted, murmured, and splayed a tanned hand across the top of the older nin's chest. At some point during the night, Iruka had slung a leg over Kakashi's thighs, resting his head on the flat plane between peck and shoulder. A tiny jolt of contented happiness hit the Copy-Nin and, despite the fact that he really wanted a glass of water, he chose instead to wrap an arm around Iruka and bask in the feeling of being snuggled. He fell asleep before he had the opportunity to evaluate exactly _why _cuddly-Iruka made him feel so delighted.

The second time Kakashi woke up, the sun had just started to peek over the top of Konoha. Soft light filtered into the bedroom between the slats of Iruka's blinds, giving their surroundings a muted, dusky look that was decidedly peaceful.

Their positions had changed sometime during the last stretch of rest. Iruka had rolled off him to lie on his left side and, although he didn't recall waking up to do so, Kakashi had followed suit, spooning the younger man from behind. A strong, pale arm was draped almost protectively over Iruka's waist, the fingers of that hand intertwined with the chunin's. Iruka's head rested on Kakashi's bicep instead of on his pillow, which Kakashi had propped his arm on top of. The jonin winced slightly when he realized that his hand had gone numb from lack of circulation. As much as he really didn't want to move, he needed to displace Iruka's head so he could regain feeling in his fingers.

It took a laboriously long time but he managed to gently ease himself away from Iruka without waking him up. Sitting up in bed, Kakashi checked the digital clock on Iruka's side and noted it was just past six-thirty. He flexed his sore wrist as tingly pins danced along his long fingers and over his palm, and debated what he wanted to do. He was rather tempted to go back to bed but his bladder reminded him forcefully that there was at least one chore that needed taking care of before he could do so.

Kakashi immediately regretted his decision to stand up when a sharp throb drove itself through his skull. He lurched sideways for a step, placing a hand firmly against the wall to steady himself until the ache subsided to a manageable level. Slowly, feeling as if someone was twisting a kunai into his brain, the jonin pulled on his sweatpants and made his way out of the bedroom and into the bathroom.

The sight of the showerhead beckoned him strongly and Kakashi decided that a hot shower was just what he needed to revive himself. After a cursory shampoo and scrubbing - he had taken to using Iruka's soap as he thought the scent of it was incredibly appealing - the jonin let his forehead rest against the cool tiles of the wall. The pulsating thrum in his temples ebbed a little but it was still a near-constant presence. Kakashi silently promised his aching head that he would _never _drink like that again.

Standing there in the hot spray, Kakashi lost track of time quickly. He wasn't thinking about anything in particular, letting his mind wander along whatever path it chose to take. It settled on the naked chunin in the bedroom but, knowing that Iruka would not allow himself to be seduced while the kid was out on the couch, Kakashi quickly pushed away any thoughts pertaining to making good use of Iruka's lack of clothing. Plus, the jonin wasn't even certain that Iruka would still be up for fulfilling the empty promise of the night before now that he was sober. Kakashi felt a slight pang of regret that he hadn't been able to cash in on it; Iruka had been deliciously aggressive in that alleyway. Just the memory of the teeth scraping along his skin was doing things to Kakashi's libido that he hadn't felt in a long time.

Subconsciously, his hand traced down his abdomen until fingers wrapped around his already thickening length. Breathing deeply, mind fixated on the flushed, lust-filled eyes he'd seen on the landing the night before, he slowly coaxed himself into fullness. He let his eyes slip shut, turning slightly to lean his back against the cold tiles of the shower wall. The water from the showerhead peppered his chest, running down his body in searing rivulets as he pumped himself gently.

Knowing he would probably pay for the chakra drain later, Kakashi activated the Sharingan behind his eyelid. The darkness flared to life as he sought out a recent memory to accompany the increasing pace his hand was taking. Almost instantly, the image of Iruka laid out before him on the couch came into focus. He could see clearly the way Iruka's chest heaved with each wanton moan, the flushed face contorted in pleasure, hands grasping at the cushions while Kakashi had slowly worked him up to orgasm. The memory of the younger man's throbbing cock against his tongue sent shivers up Kakashi's spine and he squeezed his hand more firmly over his member, biting back a groan that wanted to escape his lips.

Kakashi increased his pace as he relived that night, watching and re-watching the moment Iruka had hit his limit. Even without sound to the scene playing behind his eyelid, Kakashi could recall the exact way Iruka had screamed out as his hot, salty seed shot into the jonin's mouth. He felt his groin tighten further and was somewhat surprised at how quickly he was bringing himself to completion. Normally jerking off took him a bit longer than that. He shoved those thoughts away and refocused on the memories, biting down firmly on his lip to stifle the breathy moans threatening to break free of his throat. Pressure was building in his lower abdomen and his other hand moved down to join the first, cupping at his tightened sack, massaging and pressing in rhythm to the motion on his cock.

He was so close as the Sharingan whirled rapidly behind his eyelid, flashing images across his mind's eye of Iruka's flushed, lust-filled gaze, the lithe, tanned body arching in time with Kakashi's thrusts. The jonin matched the memory's pace with his hand, panting heavily. He hung his head and grit his teeth as his fingers started to move sporadically. He felt himself building to an almost unbearable pressure, his nerves tight as he started to reach the peak.

There was an insistent, almost panicky rapping on the bathroom door and Kakashi's good eye snapped open, the Sharingan deactivating instantly. "I'm sorry whoever's in there," a small voice called out, "but I really, really, _really_ need to pee!"

"You have _got _to be shitting me!" Kakashi snarled under his breath as his engorged cock twitched within his stilled hands. With an angry growl, the Copy-Nin shut off the water and snagged his towel from the rack. Wrapping it around his waist, doing his best to hide the painful erection that was trying to strain against the terry fabric, Kakashi yanked the bathroom door open and glared down at the kid on the other side. Hekai was dancing from foot to foot, a tense look on his face. Resignedly, Kakashi moved out of the bathroom and waved the boy inside.

Despite the ache in his groin, Kakashi couldn't bring himself to finish what he'd started once he had reached the safety of the bedroom. Iruka was still passed out, his dark hair splayed attractively around his face like a chocolate halo. The jonin didn't have the heart to wake him up in an attempt to get the chunin to do something about the older man's stiffy - not that Iruka would with Hekai in the apartment, Kakashi noted with disappointment - and he felt a little weird jerking off with Iruka asleep a foot away.

Utterly put-off, Kakashi gathered together a clean uniform and, trying to will himself to soften, got dressed. He paused briefly after fastening his pants, wondering if the standard-issue clothing was his or Iruka's. Before they had all met up to play Mud Ball on Friday, Kakashi had taken it upon himself to do a good chunk of the laundry. He hadn't bothered to separate his new uniforms from Iruka's before bundling them all into a washing machine in the apartment complex's basement, and the result had been a pile of identical pants, shirts, and flak jackets. Giving up on trying to figure it out, Kakashi had just hung everything up in Iruka's closet and called it good. They wore the same size so he figured it didn't really matter if they couldn't identify whose was whose. In a way, it was rather convenient; Kakashi had less to sort knowing that he could wear Iruka's clothing, and vice versa, without anyone being the wiser. The only articles of clothing that Kakashi had that were distinct were the shirts with attached masks he sometimes chose to wear in place of the detached version. Well, that and his underwear, but he had noted with a little bit of amusement that Iruka bought the same brand he did. They just had different opinions on what color was considered an appropriate shade for a piece of clothing no one ever saw.

Leaving Iruka to sleep off what was probably going to be a monumental hang-over, Kakashi made his way out of the bedroom and into the kitchen. He didn't bother pulling up his mask, letting it pool around his neck. Hekai had seen his face the night before, as well as a few moments ago at the bathroom door. He really didn't have anything to hide from the kid, Hekai being far too young to recognize Kakashi's features. He also wasn't a local, so the mystery the Copy-Nin's face wasn't something Hekai would really care about. Kakashi did make a mental note to ask the boy to not describe any specifics to Naruto; if the lads were friends, Kakashi would never hear the end of it from Naruto about why Hekai got to see the jonin's face while Kakashi's own student didn't.

Standing by the sink, the jonin fumbled around in the cupboards for a couple minutes, pulling down just about every flavor of tea Iruka had before trying to remember what herbal combination did well to cure the headache that had started to throb once more behind his eyes. He leaned his hands against the edge of the counter, frowning in concentration. There was a movement from nearby and the Copy-Nin slowly slid his gaze to the side. Hekai was standing tentatively at the edge of the kitchen, peering at the tea-laden countertop.

"Headache or nausea?" the boy asked, surprising him with the question.

"Uh… head." Kakashi winced slightly as his voice sent uncomfortable vibrations through his skull.

"Make the green." The child pointed at a bag near Kakashi's left hand. "It'll taste horrible, but you can add some ginger if your stomach's also upset. Or mix in some poppy, although if you use too much, you might hallucinate." The hand pointed at another bag to Kakashi's right. "You could also try a mixture of honey, ginger, and lemon. It'll taste better but it won't work as well as the green."

Kakashi stared over his shoulder at the boy. Hekai folded his hands behind his back and gazed back unabashedly. Then, figuring he didn't have anything to lose by trying the kid's suggestion, Kakashi put a green tea bag into one of Iruka's mugs then set the kettle to boil on the stovetop. While that heated, he rummaged through the refrigerator, pulling out a carton of eggs and some fresh vegetables they had picked up the previous afternoon.

"Care for an omelet?" Kakashi hoisted the egg carton a bit for emphasis. Hekai looked a little taken aback but, after another brief staring match, he nodded.

While Kakashi puttered around the kitchen, he listened to the sounds of the boy working on refolding the couch-bed. The soft fwump of the cushions being shoved back into place was followed by the scraping of one of Iruka's dining chairs being drawn out from the table. When he turned around, omelet steaming on a plate, Hekai was settled at the table. He was picking at his cuticles, an obvious aura of discomfort floating around him. Kakashi chose to ignore it, setting the plate down in front of the boy along with a fork.

Turning back to the range, Kakashi snagged the kettle off the stove right as it started to whistle. He filled his mug before whipping up his own omelet. When he turned back toward the boy with the intent to sit down and eat, he noticed with mild irritation that Hekai hadn't touched the food yet.

"It's not poisoned," Kakashi noted blandly as he pulled up the other chair.

"It would be impolite to eat before you sat down," Hekai returned in a tone that suggested that his intentions should have been obvious. The moment Kakashi was settled, the lad picked up his fork and dug into the omelet as if he hadn't eaten in a long time. The jonin wondered if that was just how the boy tended to treat food or if he really hadn't had a good meal in a while.

Kakashi sighed slightly before taking a long sip of tea. He ate more slowly, sudden movements aggravating the pounding in his head. He wasn't really queasy but he thought perhaps an omelet was a little bit excessive after half of it settled into a thick lump in the pit of his stomach. Rice would probably been a smarter choice but he hadn't really been thinking that clearly when he'd assessed possible breakfast options earlier. When Hekai gazed at the empty plate in front of him with a look that clearly said he was contemplating licking the dish clean, Kakashi slid the other half of his eggs over toward the kid.

"Are you sure?" the boy asked, frowning.

"Unless you want to see the other half of that soon, I shouldn't finish it." Hekai needed no second bidding and the remainder of Kakashi's breakfast disappeared down the Hibei's throat in a matter of seconds. Kakashi stood and took the empty plates to the sink before making up a second mug of tea. He passed it to Hekai upon returning to the table, then sat back in his chair. He clutched his mug between his hands, regarding the boy through his single, visible eye. Kakashi could tell Hekai wanted to say something but the Copy-Nin's head hurt too much to do more than wait for the boy to spit it out.

"Thank you," Hekai said at length. "It was awfully nice of you and your boyfriend to let me stay here last night." He was staring resolutely at the contents of his mug and didn't see the odd look that flashed through Kakashi's eye at his words.

"We're not dating." Kakashi took another sip of his tea and watched the confusion dance across Hekai's features.

"Your… husband?" the boy hazarded uncomfortably.

Kakashi shook his head then winced as the motion brought a new pain ricocheting around his skull. "It's actually illegal in the Land of Fire for same-sex couples to wed." The jonin let the boy stew in his uncertainty for only a few more breaths before coming to his rescue. "We're just friends."

"Oh!" Hekai's face turned an embarrassed red. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't meant to insult-"

Kakashi shrugged lightly. "No offence taken." He swirled the dregs of his tea around in his cup as a thick silence fell onto the pair.

"Is there anything I can do to repay your kindness?" Hekai ventured after the quiet had started to grow uncomfortable.

About to wave off any offer of reimbursement, Kakashi paused. "Actually," he said slowly, "I wanted to speak with you about… something. I would appreciate taking up some of your time while you're still in the village."

Hekai nodded quickly. "I'll need to check in at the Itou's home and get a change of clothing, but then I'm sure I could escape for a while."

"Can you meet me on the Fourth Hokage's head around noon, then?" Kakashi watched as Hekai mentally calculated the amount of time he'd need, the boy's bottom lip held firmly between his teeth in thought.

"Yeah. Yeah, I think I can do that." Hekai started to stand from his chair, pausing about halfway upright when Kakashi lifted a hand.

"If you run into Naruto, would you mind refraining from mentioning…" The Copy-nin made a vague gesture that encompassed his face.

There was a flicker of curiosity in the lad's eyes before Hekai nodded. "Yeah, sure. I'm going to change back into my uniform and go, then. Please thank Iruka-sensei for me when he wakes up." Hekai moved to enter the bathroom where his damp clothing still sat in one corner, forgotten overnight. He paused in the doorway, glancing back at Kakashi. "And make sure he drinks some of that tea. He looked absolutely hammered last night."

Kakashi laughed and then immediately cringed, the pain in his temples angrily reminding him why he had just downed a mug of green.

* * *

Kakashi didn't get a chance to force any tea into Iruka. The teacher had woken up about an hour after Hekai had left, taken a blurry look at the clock in the kitchen, then went flying around the apartment like someone had shoved a hornet down his pants. Apparently, he'd had mission room duty that morning and was incredibly late. Kakashi even failed to stuff any food into the chunin's mouth before the harried instructor had shoved his feet into sandals and zipped off over the rooftops, unfastened flak jacket flapping out behind him.

Standing in a suddenly empty apartment, Kakashi glanced around uncertainly. He had a few hours until he was supposed to meet Hekai. Although he knew that he could very well fill that time reading or doing the dishes from breakfast, or even finishing what he'd started that morning in the shower, another thought stuck itself in Kakashi's mind. When Iruka finished moving, his hangover was going to catch up to him and the idiot had left without rehydrating or refueling. With a sigh that only held a tiny bit of irritation, the Copy-Nin headed into the kitchen and grabbed a bag of rice from the cupboard with one hand while simultaneously setting the kettle back on the stove to boil with his other.

* * *

"Nice of you to join us."

Iruka glared at Kotetsu through a curtain of wind-blown hair as he lowered himself gingerly into his chair. The older chunin was sitting behind the mission desk at Iruka's left, feet propped up on the table. An aluminum can, the sides beaded with perspiration, was held against his forehead. Kotetsu's hitai-ate hung limply from his other hand, dangling down past the seat of his chair.

"Thought you had this morning off," Iruka growled instead of rising to the sarcastic comment aimed at his tardiness.

"There's some sort of nasty stomach bug going around." Izumo's voice was muffled as he had his head buried under his arms on top of the desk to Iruka's right. "Both Tseno and Nakamichi are out sick."

"Will all of you shut it?" Genma, sitting in Tseno's usual spot on Kotetsu's left, looked like he hadn't even bothered to comb his hair that morning. The brown locks hung in tangled strands, obscuring most of his features. What Iruka could see of the tokubetsu's face looked drawn out and incredibly pale.

"At least Sunday mornings are typically slow," Izumo continued mutedly, disregarding the grouchy senbon-specialist. "I don't think I could handle anything like a Monday right now." He peeked over the tops of his arms at the empty mission room as if to make his point.

Iruka could only grunt in agreement as Kotetsu rolled the soda can to one of his temples. The older chunin squinted painfully up at the ceiling. "Who's fucking idea was last night, anyway?"

"Yours," Iruka snapped before shoving Kotetsu's feet forcefully off the table. The resulting thud of Kotetu's tilted chair righting itself brought hisses to both the spiky-haired man and the grumpy jonin on his left.

"One more sudden noise from any of you and I will _not _be held accountable for your loss of nerve function." Genma slammed his senbon into the tabletop for emphasis before trying to tug it back out. "Fuckin' A," he mumbled when it did not come loose. He pulled another from one of his vest pouches and clamped it tightly between his teeth.

"We're all just as hung over as you are," Izumo snapped, lifting his head just enough to shoot a glower at the man on the far side of the desk. "And playing Hokage's Cup was _your _bright idea."

"How's Mr. 'I Don't Normally Drink' this morning?" Kotetsu interrupted before Genma could come up with a retort for Izumo. The dark-haired man lifted an eyebrow at Iruka, tilting his head slightly, smirking at the sour look Iruka returned.

"Disgustingly chipper," the instructor near-snarled.

Genma leaned around Kotetsu curiously. "Who-what?" he asked, obviously not caring about the incoherency of his question. It was pretty clear what he was trying to get at.

"Kakashi," Izumo supplied. "Poor guy lost his house in the Maki fire."

"Iruka's filling his Good-Guy quota for a year by letting Hatake shack up with him," Kotetsu added. Iruka aimed a punch for the older man's shoulder but it lacked oomph, smacking far more lightly than it would have if Iruka hadn't been dying of a splitting headache.

"He's not usually that bad," the youngest man grumbled. It was quite true, too. Kakashi was actually a fairly considerate house-guest. He'd noticed how Kakashi had done the laundry the other day, and made breakfast for Hekai before the boy had vanished that morning… and snuggled Iruka the night before. The Academy chunin barely kept a blush from creeping onto his face at the memory of waking up sometime during the night wrapped in Kakashi's embrace. He felt a pang of disappointment that, with Hekai no longer on the couch, Kakashi would probably be moving back out there that evening. A vague but not unwelcomed thought entered Iruka's mind, questioning whether or not agreeing to being friends with benefits would ensure that Kakashi continued to spoon him in the middle of the night. He found it difficult to still be angry at the jonin when he could remember the incredibly contented feeling of being held like something precious. He didn't have time to ponder that further, though, as something Kotetsu said brought Iruka out of his thoughts.

"So, Genma." Kotetsu twisted sideways in his chair, leaning an arm on the back of the furniture, his fist propping his head up. "About last night."

The tokubetsu eyed Kotetsu guardedly. "Yeah?"

"Mind telling us about, ah, taking one for the team?" Kotetsu's grin split his face playfully.

Genma groaned. He removed his senbon, letting his head fall onto the desktop, barely missing the other pointy needle still stuck in the wood. "Fuckin' A," he repeated into the hard surface. "Okay, fine, but only if you go get me one of those." The jonin jabbed a finger at the cold soda can Kotetsu was holding.

The laid-back chunin was out of his seat and through the door of the mission room in a heartbeat, nearly running over a couple shinobi attempting to enter. The early-rising ninja quietly turned in their reports, much to the appreciation of the hung-over desk workers. By the time Kotetsu returned, the room was empty of all but the other three employees. He passed the cold soda can to Genma, who pressed it immediately to his forehead with an exaggerated sigh.

Rolling the can around to his temple, Genma twirled his senbon around in his fingers before chomping on the end. "Way back when I was younger," he started, moving the can to his other temple, "I was sent on an escort mission."

Iruka leaned his elbow on the mission desk, propping his chin in his hand as he settled down to listen to the story. He had to admit, he was rather curious how it came to be that Genma had locked lips with a man in his past; Iruka had never gotten any sort of vibe from the tokubetsu that spoke of non-heterosexual tendencies. The instructor could easily write off Genma's kissing of Guy-sensei as alcohol induced considering how smashed everyone had been by that point.

"I wanna say it was around eight or nine years ago. I was probably… oh, eighteen maybe?" Genma scratched his chin thoughtfully, maneuvering the senbon to the other side of his mouth with his tongue. "I was put on a team with a couple chunin and Guy, the prat. I was already tokubetsu but he was just freshly made a jonin and was given command of our unit for the mission. He was hardly more than a kid himself."

The tokubetsu shifted in his chair, moving to prop his feet up on the desk similar to Kotetsu's previous posture. Iruka frowned at it – he hated it when people put their shoes on the table – but he was too interested in the tale to bother correcting Genma's manners. He certainly didn't want the jonin to take it as a reason to not tell the story.

"I'm sure you're all familiar with Lord Hoshu Saito?" Genma paused while he waited for confirmation from his workmates. They nodded and he continued with a sigh. "Well, we were tasked with escorting his lovely bride from her father's lands to his. Considering the extensive wealth of both families, her carriage would have been an extremely tempting target for bandits. Lord Saito was willing to pay a disgustingly excessive amount of money to hire a jonin-led squad for the job." The senbon moved around Genma's mouth once more, rolling from one side to the other while the jonin dredged up the memories. He cringed slightly before popping his soda open. He took a long swig before speaking again. "Although Guy was all about personally carrying her the entire distance if needed – you know how he is-" The others nodded knowingly "- we decided as a cell that the best course of action would be to create a double of Lady Kyoko and disguise her as a servant woman for the duration of the trip. If bandits tried to kidnap the Lady, they'd be in for a nice surprise."

The jonin sighed almost dramatically then took another drink around his senbon. His eyes flicked toward the door where a few chunin were entering with reports. Iruka thought for a moment that Genma wasn't going to continue the story while the room was occupied but the jonin didn't seem to care if more than his friends overheard the tale as he started talking again. Iruka, always a master of multitasking, processed the reports while still actively listening to Genma.

"Of the four of us, I had the best henge ability so it was decided that _I _would play Lady Kyoko. I don't know if you guys have ever been a woman for two weeks, but I would not suggest it." The older man curled his lips slightly, grimacing around the acupuncture needle. The comment brought curious stares from the two newly arrived chunin who, regardless of the new mission in their hands, set themselves up on one of the couches lining the wall. Genma didn't seem to mind their presence though.

"So off we went. It's dead-boring riding in a carriage with nothing to do but stare out a window and pretend to be a woman. I wasn't allowed to do anything that would have given me away. It was the longest fucking two weeks of my life. Anyway-" He paused briefly as he took his feet off the desk and reached across it to take a report from a battered-looking jonin. He glanced over the scroll, stamped it, and tossed a new one at the man. A couple more shinobi started to wander in and, as they realized the specialized bodyguard was telling a mission story, many of them stuck around after turning in their reports, perching on the couches and chairs scattered throughout the room.

"Anyway," Genma started again after glancing at the room. He shrugged, unconcerned with the increase in his audience. "Lord Saito is a rather impatient man as it turns out. He couldn't wait for us to escort Lady Kyoko the entire distance before setting his eyes on his bride. The ass rode out to meet us halfway, as if our group wasn't a big enough target for bandits without Saito himself among our numbers, right?"

Kotetsu muttered something rather rude about nobles that Iruka had to silently agree with. Around the room, a few of the shinobi were nodding their understanding of the situation.

"I take it you didn't tell him that you weren't Kyoko?" Izumo asked when Genma stopped to process another report. Genma tapped the side of his nose and jerked his head in confirmation.

"If we told him that his blushing bride was actually the serving girl, he would have been lavishing all his energies on her and given away the ruse to any ambushing bandits." Genma dug through his stack of mission scrolls before handing one to the woman across the table. She was smirking and, after receiving her new mission, moved to lean against the wall nearby to listen.

"I think I can see where this is going," Kotetsu spoke up gleefully.

"Then I don't have to finish this." Genma began to sit back in his chair and grinned at the sounds of protest coming from the loitering shinobi. "Okay, fine. So, for all Lord Saito knew, I was his Lady Kyoko. I don't think I've ever been so terrified of sleeping before in my life; that man does _not _have personal boundaries. Naturally, my teammates were utterly supportive, vanishing whenever that idiot came around to speak with me." Appreciative chuckles rippled through the room.

"We were about three days from his lands when he tried to get into my pants or, well, my dress since I was dolled up." Genma shuddered at the memory and rubbed his forehead with a hand. "I couldn't very well blow my cover, now could I? I managed to keep him from reaching up my skirt but he managed to get a good, solid kiss in before I escaped."

"And how was that?" Kotetsu egged him on, a ridiculously entertained smile on his face.

"Horrible. He was all tongue and no technique." Genma pulled a face while the mission room erupted in laughter. He made a rude gesture to the gathered shinobi but his expression was good-humored. "I felt sorry for the real Kyoko."

"Did he ever find out you weren't her?" Iruka couldn't help but ask during the brief lull in the story. He rubbed absently at his own temples, his headache still very much present. Genma's story was a good distraction from his hangover but Iruka still felt fairly sick.

The tokubetsu's smirk was answer enough but, much to everyone's pleasure, he elaborated. "We ended up getting attacked by bandits the next day. Naturally, I de-henged to help take care of the problem. I wasn't sure whether I should have been happy to be rid of the disguise or offended when Lord Saito promptly threw up when he realized what he'd done."

"I hope that didn't affect your pay," Kotetsu commented between giggles.

"Oh, he tried to get out of paying at all, arguing that I deceived him and put his reputation in question." Genma's expression turned momentarily dark as he stared at the table top. "Part of the reason why I hate derogatory terms," he admitted. "You don't know how much it hurts until you get called a faggot. He tried to get me demoted and slandered my name within his social circle, threatened to never hire a Leaf Nin again because we..." He paused to lift his fingers to quote-mark the air, "'allowed a fucking homo to take advantage of a highly important financial backer.' Never mind that I'm not gay, or that he was the one that put me in that situation, or that I saved his ass during that attack."

The room had quieted, a few of the present ninja shifting uncomfortably before Genma gave a little shrug. "Lord Sarutobi straightened everything out, though, and managed to convince those lords that, since I had been one of the Yondaime's personal bodyguards, I had known what I was doing and that it had nothing to do with my apparently questionable sexuality." The tokubetsu leaned back in his chair again, feet landing on the desk with a thud that made the hung-over ninja all wince. "That was about the time he promoted me to his own personal guard, actually, so it worked out in the end."

"Damn. Well, we still like you even though you were molested by a dickhead." Kotetsu clapped a hand against Genma's shoulder. The resulting jostle brought a glare to the tokubetsu's face and a smack to the hand but Iruka thought he saw a flicker of appreciation in the older man's brown eyes at the gesture from the spiky-headed chunin.

With the story obviously finished, many of the lingering ninja started to file out to make room for incoming comrades. Sunday was typically a slower day for mission desk work, but there seemed to be a decent number of ninja coming and going. The four hung-over companions settled themselves into the routine of passing out new scrolls and processing the incoming reports. Iruka was thankful for the repetitious task and the general quiet that permeated the room. His stomach was decidedly unsettled and his head pounded each time he stamped a report as completed. He knew he shouldn't have left the house without eating something but he had been in such a hurry that his hang-over hadn't gotten the chance to catch up with him until he'd reached the desks. Hindsight really was 20-20.

A swirl of dizziness hit the young chunin and he stared at a swirl in the woodgrain for a long moment in an attempt to steady himself. The sensation was somewhat akin to when Kakashi had teleported him and Iruka made a promise to not drink like that ever again. His sonar wasn't working properly and it only added to the overall feeling of disorientation that was creeping up on him.

"Thank you for your hard work," Iruka murmured as he took an offered mission report without looking up at the ninja passing it his way. He figured if he kept his head down and didn't look around, he would eventually regain his clear head.

"You're welcome," a familiar voice replied. Despite his previous plans to glue his eyes to the knot in the wood, Iruka's head jerked up to stare at the man standing across the table. He could see Izumo stiffen slightly in his chair next to him as the older nin realized, too, who was standing there. "You're not looking well today," Hiro continued in a perfectly conversational tone. "Perhaps you're catching that flu. You should go home, Iruka-sensei, and get some rest."

Iruka barely managed to keep a glare from his face as he opened the mission scroll Hiro had handed him, glancing over the report to make sure it was complete. He stamped it a tad bit harder than he'd intended before sticking it on a pile near his elbow for filing. Without a word, he shuffled through a few higher leveled scrolls, picking out something appropriate for the jonin standing across the table.

"It's nothing," Iruka muttered, passing the mission across the table. His brows twitched together a fraction at the brush of Hiro's fingers against his own when the other nin took the offered mission. Iruka knew very well that Hiro could have taken it without touching him; he had done that on purpose.

Hiro's sky-colored eyes regarded Iruka carefully from behind his lashes. "No, you're nauseous and your head hurts. If I'm not mistaken, you're also dehydrated."

"Thank you, but I don't need a medic nin to tell me how I feel." The forced politeness in Iruka's voice caused both Izumo and Kotetsu to turn their heads toward him nervously. Iruka could see the taller chunin exchange a glance with Kotetsu behind Iruka's back but the younger man ignored it. "Please do your best to complete your mission. May I have the next report, please?" Iruka made a point of looking beyond Hiro to see if there was anyone else in line. His lips twitched down when he noticed that there weren't any other ninja waiting.

Hiro's mouth opened to speak again but whatever he was about to say, Iruka never heard it. There was the sudden popping sound of someone teleporting into the room. A swirl of smoke and leaves whisked around the space, momentarily obscuring Iruka's vision. When it settled, the shinobi at the mission desk stared in open curiosity at the pale-haired, lanky jonin that was sitting cross-legged on Iruka's pile of stamped reports.

"Yo," Kakashi greeted, one hand upheld in his standard hello.

"Kakashi-sensei?" Iruka glowered at the masked man, noting that the single visible eye was curved in a happy smile. How dare he look so _not _hung-over when Iruka and his three workmates were all in various stages of recovery? "What are you doing here? I thought you weren't taking any missions until after the chunin exams."

"You left in such a hurry this morning, you forgot your breakfast." Kakashi reached into the haversack slung across his hip, digging through the contents. He pulled out a couple of wrapped bundles and set them out on the desk, following them with a thermos. "Green tea for the headache and some onigiri for your stomach. Really, Iruka-sensei, you should take better care of yourself."

The corner of Iruka's eye twitched slightly at the comment but, inwardly, he felt a swirl of pleasure. Kakashi was being incredibly considerate. With a sigh, the instructor reached forward to take one of the bundles. He didn't feel much like eating, but he did know that putting something bland into his stomach would go a long way to help the hang-over subside.

"Thank you," Iruka murmured as he unwrapped the hand-formed rice triangle. He took a tentative bite, chewing slowly before forcing himself to swallow. It was incredibly tasty but his stomach started to protest. Blanching, Iruka set the rice down and tried the tea instead with better results. After a minute of making himself eat the rest of the onigiri ball, Iruka glanced at the jonin still sitting on the desk between him and Kotetsu. "Can I help you with anything?"

"Just making sure you eat," Kakashi stated simply with a shrug. He seemed satisfied that Iruka had managed to down one of the lumps of rice. With yawn, Kakashi stretched his arms above his head; a series of impressive cracks and pops sounded as the older man's spine aligned. "I have some errands to run today so I'll just be going." The jonin rolled back off the desk, gaining his feet in a fluid motion that left Iruka slightly jealous of Kakashi's flexibility.

As the Copy-Nin turned to go, he paused long enough to gaze down at Hiro. Iruka felt himself tense slightly but Kakashi merely murmured a vague greeting before brushing past the shorter jonin. The pale nin paused at the doorway, though, and glanced back over his shoulder at Iruka. "We forgot to buy cabbage yesterday. Can you pick some up on the way home so I can make dinner?"

"Uh, sure." Iruka nodded once and Kakashi, smiling, left the mission room. There was a long pause as the shinobi in the room glanced curiously between the open door and Iruka. The chunin did his best to keep a blush from spreading over his face at the sudden scrutiny he was getting. He chanced a look up at Hiro but the man's face was schooled into a perfectly neutral expression. The jonin turned after a heartbeat and left the room without a word.

Just when the silence was starting to feel much too thin, there was slurping sound from Genma as the tokubetsu finished his soda. "Damn," the man said with a smirk, "remind me to offer my couch to him the next time his place burns down. I don't suppose you'd be willing to share those, eh?" Genma jabbed his senbon at one of the numerous bundles of rice sitting in front of Iruka. The instructor responded by tossing the older man one, then passing a couple to Kotetsu and Izumo as well. The potentially awkward atmosphere evaporated as the last few shinobi left the room and the desk nin munched away at the delicious onigiri, Iruka feeling incredibly grateful to Genma for dissolving what could have turned into an uncomfortable situation.

* * *

**AN: **Again, sorry for the shorter chapter. I'm hoping to be back to myself soon. Thanks!


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